cupcakes: I've just gotten taller | pretty paper. true stories. {and scrapbooking classes with cupcakes.}

Preconceived notions are such interesting topics. How student A looked challenging on paper but is a dream in real life (or vice versa, of course). How a movie looks good from the trailers but dreadful in person (or thankfully, sometimes the other way around there too). How things can generally be different than they seem. Hmmm.

Here’s a light-hearted preconceived notion for you: chocolate should be dense but vanilla should be light and fluffy.

I did say it was light-hearted.

So I figured you have to try these things to learn if the notion is true. Dense vanilla cake then. Like pound cake and yet…not. Not crumbly at all. And the chocolate is very, very dark. Not sweet.

They’re not for everybody. They’re for grown-ups.

Grown-up Cupcakes

Cake Ingredients:
250g unsalted butter
200g sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
200g plain flour
200g self-raising flour
1/4 cup runny honey
1 cup plain greek-style yoghurt
1/2 cup whipping cream

Heat oven to 175C. Line trays with cupcake liners – makes about 22.
Beat butter until it is fluffy, then add sugar and beat a further 3 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time, beating each one until even.
Add vanilla and mix again.
Add the remaining ingredients, alternating between the wet and dry. Mix until all flour is incorporated evenly.

Fill liners just over half-way and bake until a chopstick comes out clean – about 20 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then place on a rack to cool.

Filling ingredients:
100g 70% dark chocolate (the really dark stuff you can find in the baking section)
200g dark chocolate (more like the quality of a dark chocolate candy bar rather than what you find in the baking section)
125g unsalted butter

Break the chocolate into small pieces. Place all the ingredients in a glass bowl. Place bowl on top of a saucepan filled with water just under the boil. Melt the chocolate and butter but don’t let it burn. As soon as everything is melted (or actually a little before), remove from the heat and stir with a wooden spoon. Let cool but not set.

Crack the cooled cupcakes by placing a knife in the centre of each one. Fill this with the chocolate, and leave to set.

Topping ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
50g sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Place all in a bowl and whisk until peaks form. Spoon onto cupcakes or place in a piping bag to decorate.

A little apology for the lateness of the Christmas info. Just ironing out the last few things—sign ups will start tomorrow, Saturday the 4th.

xlovesx

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03 November 2006

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