Mini Chocolate Cupcakes

This mini had a caramel butter cream frosting. I thought the caramel flavour was overwhelming though.

Adapted from: Libbie’s Chocolate Cupcake recipe.

I have a very hard time following recipes. No matter how much I tell myself that I will, I don’t.  I very rarely (VERY RARELY) make the same recipe twice.  Maybe I have a bit of baking ADD or something.  This recipe was no different. I didn’t follow the recipe exactly. I just couldn’t.  Luckily, they turned out really well. I mean, really well. They were moist, the chocolate flavour wasn’t overwhelming (I don’t like overly chocolatey things), and it wasn’t too sweet.  I’ve made this recipe 3 times this month!

The original recipe is worth trying though. The original is less moist, but it’s still amazing.

I used a strawberry frosting I got from my friend Leah Kelly.  Her website is called White Box Cupcakes.  I’m not sure if the frosting recipe is on her site because I asked her for a frosting recipe and she emailed me the one below.

Strawberry butter cream frosting.

Vanilla bean butter cream frosting.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 100g plain flour
• 20g cocoa powder
• 70g white sugar/70g splenda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 40g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 60ml 35% cream
• 60 ml 2% milk
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 vanilla bean

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Put sugar and vanilla bean seeds in a stand up mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix until the vanilla seeds are distributed throughout the sugar.
3. Put flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and butter in the mixer. Mix together until you have a sandy consistency.
4. Whisk milk, cream, yogurt and egg  in a jug. Slowly pour half into the mixture, beat to combine and then turn the mixer up to high speed to get rid of any lumps.
5. Turn the mixer down to a slower speed and pour in the remaining mixture. Continue to mix for a couple of turns. Do not over mix.
6. Spoon mixture into the 12 cases and cook for 20 mins or until your cake tester (aka a toothpick) comes out clean.

Strawberry Butter-cream Frosting:

(I couldn’t stick to the original recipe here either…)

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks (1/2 cup) of butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups of powdered sugar
• 1/2 a vanilla bean
• 1/4  cup fresh very ripe strawberries

NOTE: The original used a 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, had 1/4- 1/2 chopped strawberries and said to press with paper towel to remove moisture, and had 1/2 tsp milk. I kept the strawberry juice and omitted the milk. For the vanilla bean frosting, omit the strawberry, add 1/2 tsp milk or more depending on the consistency you want.

Method:

1. Cream butter until smooth and fluffy.

2. Add in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time with the mixer on low so you don’t get a lot of powdered sugar dust spewing up in your face.  If you have a large stand up mixer, then you can add larger amounts of powdered sugar.

3. Add in vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or vanilla bean seeds that you scraped from the vanilla bean.

4. Add 1/4 cup of the berries and turn the mixer on high, scraping down the sides as you go.

5. Add as much confectioner’s sugar as needed to achieve your desired consistency.

This frosting tasted a LOT better after I refrigerated it overnight.  It tasted almost like strawberry ice cream. I had to tell myself not to eat it off a spoon because, after all, it’s whipped butter with sugar, and I prefer to save my calories for bacon.

You can either use the frosting right away, keep it in the fridge, or freeze it. When you want to use it again, take it out of the fridge and beat it with an electric mixer until fluffy. If you take it out of the freezer, defrost in the fridge and then follow the above instructions.

Vanilla bean and strawberry butter cream frosting in disposable piping bags. I love my disposable piping bags!!

The strawberry butter cream was paired with the chocolate cupcakes, and the vanilla bean frosting went with a coffee cupcake.

Close up. The letters were from sugar sheets, bought at Walmart.

YUM 🙂

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