Sunday 11 August 2013

Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Cupcakes

*Note - as you can tell if you read the introduction, this post is from the very beginning of summer. I just found it in my list of posts, and decided that as I am away, I would post it! This is again a scheduled post as I am still in America.

The weather has finally started getting warmer here (at last!), and we had the first barbecue of the year with my best friend and her family, and my friend and I decided to make cupcakes.

My all time favourite flavour combination is berries with any type of chocolate - especially raspberries or strawberries <3 hence the dark chocolate and raspberry cupcakes, and why the last post was also a type of chocolate and raspberry cupcake! 


The frosting is two-tone raspberry and chocolate frosting, and there's a raspberry in the middle of the cupcakes for a little surprise. These are so easy to make and they taste so good, I had at least three that day.



Sponge:

115g good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
85g butter, softened
175g soft brown sugar
2 large eggs, separated
185g plain flour, sifted
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
250ml milk, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

In the middle: 24 raspberries

  1. Preheat the oven to 170 C Fan/ 190 C/ 375 F/ Gas Mark 5 and line two 12-hole muffin trays with cases.
  2. Melt the chocolate by breaking the chocolate pieces into a heatproof bowl. Place on top of a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water, or the chocolate will burn. Stir occasionally. Leave to cool slightly.
  3. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale, smooth and light. In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks for several minutes. Slowly add the egg yolks to the creamed mixture and beat well.
  4. Add the melted chocolate and beta well.
  5. Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a separate bowl. 
  6. Mix the milk and vanilla extract in a jug.
  7. Add one third of the flour to the chocolate mixture and beat until incorporated. Then add one half of the milk, and beat well. Repeat until all of the flour and milk is used, ending on the flour. 
  8. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks start to form. Carefully fold the egg whites into the batter, using a metal spoon. Do not beat or all the air you've added by whisking will be lost.
  9. Carefully scoop the mixture into cupcake cases, filling them to about two thirds full - this is a fairly liquid batter, so be careful not to be messy. place one raspberry in the middle of the batter, and do not push down, as it ill sink into the batter itself. 
  10. Bake for 20-25 minutes. To check they are cooked, insert a skewer into the middle, and when it comes out clean they are cooked. Leave in the tins to cool for 10 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

For the cupcakes I made, I used two different frostings to make two-toned icing, but you can just do, one or the other if you prefer.

Raspberry Frosting:

55g butter, softened
30ml milk, room temperature
250g icing sugar, sifted
2 1/2 tbsp seedless raspberry jam

  1. In a large bowl, beat the butter, milk and half the icing sugar until smooth. 
  2. Add the raspberry jam and start beating, whilst gradually adding the remaining icing sugar.
  3. Once incorporated, beat for another minute, and leave it.

Chocolate Frosting:

55g butter, softened
30ml milk, room temperature
15g cocoa powder
235g icing sugar, sifted

  1. In a large bowl, beat the butter, milk, cocoa powder and half the icing sugar until smooth.
  2. Gradually add the remaining icing sugar, whilst beating.
  3. Once incorporated, beat for another 2 minutes, and leave it.
To decorated the cupcakes, I laid a piping bag on it's side, and put the raspberry frosting on the bottom. I then turned it upright and put the chocolate frosting on the other side, so that when you pipe, the two colours come out at the same time, creating a two-toned swirl.

If you try these, tell me how they go, I hope you like them!

Thanks for reading :) 



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