Stella May I know about a simple bake? Chocolate craving?

10:30 AM Unknown 0 Comments

 
Well of course, that would be a chocolate cupcake of course! Chocolate cupcakes are one the the simplest things to bake. It is just dumping and mixing and stick it in the oven. The bake time is short but if you want to frost these, you will want to let them cool.
Mister recently ordered me some pastry tips! And since they have arrived all we wanted to do was have a go with them. And what better way then to use them to decorate cupcakes! I thought a nice dark background (chocolate) would contrast with the creamy buttercream frosting.
So first add all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix them until it's combined. Then just start dumping in the wet ingredients. I like to mix the dry ingredients first to make sure there's no weird clumps that would just exacerbate when I add in wet ingredients. Then to make it super simple I use the same measuring cups and dump in the wet ingredients. (You couldn't do that if you added wet ingredients first.)
Meanwhile you want to have some coffee brewing or reheat your coffee from earlier that morning. We currently have any filters for my cone brewer so I am using a coffee dripper here. (Again just using the same measuring cups.) Note: you don't really taste coffee in the end, it just helps bring out the chocolaty flavor. Avoiding coffee? Just use boiling water.
Then mix in the coffee. I mix the ingredients for quite awhile. I want the mixture to be super smoother (not like the picture) and maybe add a little air to make it lighter.
It's going to be quite a thin mixture.
Have some baking cups ready and..
Pour the mixture into the measuring cup (for ease of then pouring the batter into the cupcake cups.) This recipe makes about 12 cupcakes. Which is perfect if you have  a full size cupcake tin or two of what I am using. I use these half sizes since that's what fits in my oven. If you are baking the whole batch at once you can better portion out the batter.
While that bakes, mix the buttercream frosting. This is also a dump and mix, just with a lot more mixing. Since I am using a spatula it took particularly long, I would suggest a stiffer utensil, maybe a wooden spoon. That way you can incorporate more faster and add in that air to make it lighter and more voluminous. Sifting in the powdered sugar also helps achieve the light, airy texture.
 The hardest part of the recipe? Waiting for the cupcakes to cool so you can decorate them.
That's it! What do you bake when you are craving some chocolate?
What you'll need:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup hot brewed coffee

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Place cupcake liners in muffin tin.
3. In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
4. Add milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well
combined. Next add hot coffee to the cake batter. Mix until batter is smooth.
5. Evenly distribute cake batter. Each cupcake liner should be about ¾ full.
place in the oven and bake 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
What you'll need:
½ cup butter (1 stick), softened
1-2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted (depending on the texture you want)
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
1-2 tablespoons milk, cream, or half-and-half

What to do:
1. Cream the butter in a medium bowl until it lightens in color.
2. Add in confectioner's sugar, 1/2 a cup at a time. Mix well after each cup is added.
3. Add vanilla and salt and combine until well-incorporated.
4. Add milk, heavy cream or half-and-half until the frosting has reached your perfect consistency. For a firmer
frosting, add more confectioner's sugar, a 1/4 cup at a time. For a softer frosting, add more milk or cream, a tablespoon at a time.