Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcakes! I'm just realising I've never said the word like an adult.. Never! It's always accompanied with childish glee and that sense of playfulness. To me, cupcakes signify fun, laughter and all things nice and colourful. Not to mention that excitement you sense while baking them, since you're dying to see the end result. 

Contrary to popular belief, they're quite simple to make. Not very time-consuming either. And totally worth all the effort. I decided to make chocolate cupcakes and I fished them out of my latest possession, The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. This book is one of the many goodies I received from an extremely dear person, Thanks RB! I hear this bakery in London makes the most legendary cupcakes, so I knew I had to give it a try. Still have the 14 other cupcake recipes to try!

This recipe uses a devil's food cake for it's chocolate base. The cocoa powder gives the sponge a dark and chocolatey kick. But the most fun element is the frosting bit. You could make a million combinations with the frosting in every possible colour and a myriad of cupcake sprinkles. I whipped up some cream cheese frosting, which by the way tastes swell! You could also do a chocolate frosting, if you're a chocolate maniac. Cream cheese was just more exciting.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
 Makes 12

Ingredients:
100g / 3.5 oz plain flour
20g / 0.70 oz cocoa powder
140g / 5 oz caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
40g / 1.4 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
120 ml whole milk
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting: (Should suffice about 15 cupcakes)
300g / 10.5 oz icing sugar, sifted
50g / 1.7 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g / 4.4 oz cream cheese, cold


A 12-hole cupcake tray, lined with paper cases

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 deg. C/325 deg. F
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder and add to it the sugar, salt and butter. Use a handheld mixer and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is well combined.
3. Whisk the milk, egg and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Then slowly pour half of it in the flour mixture, beat to combine and turn the mixer upto high speed to get rid of any lumps.
4. Turn the mixer down to a slower speed and slowly pour in the remaining milk mixture. Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Don't overmix.
5. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the pre-heated over for 20-25 minutes, or until the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer/knife inserted should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tray before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely (bless the microwave stand!).
6. When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the frosting on top and decorate with cupcake sprinkles.

For the frosting: 

1. Beat the icing sugar and butter using a handheld electric whisk on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.
2. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat it until it's completely incorporated. Continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, atleast 5 minutes. Don not overbeat as it can become runny.

My Notes:

• Use only Philadelphia Cream Cheese. It's a sin to use anything else. 
• Make sure you don't spoon more than two-thirds of the batter into the paper cases or the cupcake will flow out.
• Do not overbeat the cupcake mixture, as the sponge will be too heavy.
• If you don't find unsalted butter, regular butter will do. In that case, skip the pinch of salt.
• The richer your cocoa powder, the richer your cupcake! Use Belgian cocoa powder, if you can lay your hands on some.