A friend of mine requested me to bake a treat for her friend's engagement party. After some persuasion, I went for it! It was for a small intimate event, and an important celebration to mark.
So, I wanted to make something that was delicious, low-key, but still very festive. What better than chocolate cupcakes. My friend decorated them with DIY cake toppers (very Pinterest-ey) to honor the newly wed couple.
Photo credit: Shruti Patil
These cupcakes are made with buttermilk and oil, not butter, which keeps them moist. And, a dash of brewed coffee really elevates the taste of the chocolate. The frosting is not buttercream, but a whipped chocolate ganache which is so easy to put together for any home baker. Here's the recipe:
For 12-14 cupcakes:
Ingredients
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (room temperature)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk (I just use regular milk with an Indian sized lemon squeezed in it; and left to curdle for about 10-15 minutes)
1-2 tablespoons of strong brewed black coffee
Method
Preheat oven to 177C / 350F.
Line your muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.
In a bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
In a second bowl, whisk eggs, both the sugars, oil, and vanilla until mixed well.
Pour in half the buttermilk, and stir.
Add in the coffee (optional)
Now pour remaining wet mixture and buttermilk and stir very gently. Do not mix too much.
Fill muffin pan about 1/3 of the way not too much, otherwise they may spillover while baking.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean from the center.
Once they are completely cool, you can put the frosting, and decorate with sprinkles, or whatever you want!
Speaking of frosting, here goes for the recipe for the whipped chocolate ganache which has only three ingredients:
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
228 grams semisweet chocolate (I use Amul 55%)
A pinch of salt
Method
Heat the cream on the stove, on low heat, until just simmering but not boiling.
Pour this warm cream over the chopped chocolate, add a pinch of salt, and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. The warm cream will melt the chocolate. Once you stir, it will produce a shiny ganache.
Once it has reached this consistency, cover it and keep it in the fridge until it has cooled and slightly hardened. This should about an hour.
Remove from fridge, and use your mixer to beat the ganache at medium speed until peaks form and it is aerated and fluffy, similar to buttercream. This process should not take more than 2-3 minutes.
Use a piping bag, or just a spatula to put frosting on cupcakes, and decorate! I just used a ziplock bag, and snipped the corner to frost these cupcakes, and decorated with some rainbow sprinkles.
I'm happy to report that the cupcakes were well received, and enjoyed by those who attended my friend's party. I'm looking forward to trying out different cupcake flavors soon!
Photo credit: Shruti Patil
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