Chocolate cupcakes

245sam, Jul 24, 11:06am
A couple of options for you kzdec.The first very easily made recipe I have made many times, the second one is as shown on Good Morning and it's from Tamara Jane of Wellington's cupcake shop "Tempt".

"MIRACLES"
1 cup flour
1 tsp each ofbaking powderandbaking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp cocoa
½ cup each ofsugarandmilk
2 tbsp golden syrup
55g butter, melted
1 egg, beaten

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa together, then add the sugar and mix it through lightly, with a fork.
Carefully and gently warm the golden syrup in the milk without allowing it to boil.Remove from the heat and add the butter, then the egg.Add the dry ingredients and carefully mix all together.Place the mixture into patty pans or patty papers.
Bake at180ºC-200ºC.Allow to become cold then either
1.ice the top of each cake with chocolate icing and decorate as desired OR
2.scoop out of the top of each cake with a tsp, then add a small spoon of raspberry and replace the top of the cake and ice with chocolate icing OR
3.make butterfly cakes by scooping out the top of each cake with a tsp, then adding a small spoon of whipped cream & replacing the top piece of cake, cut into 2 and placed to resemble wings.:-))

245sam, Jul 24, 11:09am
Tamara Jane's CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
Makes 24

185g butter
2 tsp vanilla essence
380g caster sugar
3 eggs
300g self raising flour
100g cocoa powder
1 cup water

Preheat the oven to 175ºC. Line two 12-hole muffin trays with cupcake papers.
Place all the ingredients except the walnuts into a large bowl. Beat on low speed with electric beaters until just combined. Continue to beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and lighter in colour.
Divide the mixture between the trays. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the centre of the cake springs back when lightly pushed.
Allow to cool on rack.
Once cool ice with chocolate frosting and decorate with chocolate cut-outs and chocolate filigree.

Chocolate Frosting
250g butter
500g icing sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla essence

Beat the butter with electric beaters until well softened. Add half of the icing sugar, half the cocoa powder and half the milk. Beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and add the remaining ingredients, including the vanilla. Beat again until the mix is light and smooth. If the frosting seems stiff, add a little more milk.

Dark Chocolate Ganache
400g dark chocolate
375ml cream

Melt the chocolate and cream together over a double boiler, or on low heat in the microwave.Allow to cool and spread onto the cupcakes.

Chocolate Cut-outs
250g chocolate, dark, white or milk
small cutter,baking paper,offset palette knife,tray

Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a bowl over gently simmering water. Stir until smooth.
Spread the chocolate over the baking paper and leave to semi set. If the chocolate is too hard is will be brittle and difficult to cut.
Using a cutter, push into the chocolate and remove the cut out shape. If the chocolate is too soft you can press the cutter into the chocolate then leave the chocolate to finish setting before removing the shape.
The chocolate may also be cut into squares and triangles using a sharp knife. If the chocolate is too hard to cut, the knife can be warmed in boiling water, wiped dry then used to cut the chocolate.

Chocolate Filigree Decorations
baking paper
200g white compound chocolate
200g dark compound chocolate
traced designs
powder colour for chocolate

Make a piping bag. Melt the chocolates in separate bowls either in the microwave on low, or over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
Lay a piece of baking paper over the traced designs.
Half fill one of the piping bags with white chocolate and fold the top to seal. Snip the point off the piping bag and begin to pipe over the chosen design.
Allow to set completely before gently lifting off the paper with a knife.
Repeat with the dark chocolate and use the decorations to decorate your cakes.
White chocolate may be coloured using powder food colour. Do not use liquid colouring as this will thicken the chocolate and make it hard to pipe. Mix a very small amount of powder into the melted white chocolate and stir until the powder is evenly blended. Use in the same way as you would to make the piped decorations above.:-))