Since TV shows such as Sex and the City and 2 Broke Girls and of course the famous Martha Stewart a general tendency back to cooking and domestic behavior among us (young) girls has been noted.
So me too got on that big wave that (I suppose) now also hit Europe as well: the cupcake baking madness.
For my 25th (oh lord..) birthday the traditional birthday cake got replaced by a étagère full of mini cupcakes single handedly picked and ordered in advance, at the local master for this matter: Vienna CupCakes.
But eating them is just as fun as getting your finger in the dough. So as soon as i got home during the semester break I couldn't wait to try it out, together with my wonderful and creative mother.
For our first time around we decided to go with a classic, the red velvet cupcake. Quite frankly the first time wasn't at all what you may call beginners luck or anything. We loved the recipe but result wasn't very satisfactory.
But hey, lets not dwell on mishap. The research for the perfect homemade cupcake goes on.
May I note that perfect should maybe replace with for me most pleasing. Meaning, that in my opinion it is inevitable for a cupcake to be not purely super, extremely chocolaty. And if the cupcake has a chocolate base, then the frosting should be fruity. Furthermore, the frosting shouldn't consist only of butter, sugar and color. I love the fresh taste of the cream cheese, and would aim for a naturally attained color.
I wasn't very sure for what exactly I was looking or let's say rather craving.
But there is not much fun in the ready to buy backing mixtures which of course most of the time turn out perfect, also thanks to little chemical helpers in the mix. So I browsed through many great baking blogs, Pinterest etc. In the end, I kind of did a mix and match and figured out a new recipe to suit my personal taste in a cupcake.
Here you find my very personal recipe for Choco-Strawberry Cupcakes.
First step, the Chocolate Cupcake. Its dough is based on the traditional chocolate and red wine cake from my friends Liza`s granny.
This is my adapted version:
Chocolate Cupcakes
Yields about 18 cupcakes
Baking time between 15-20min
Preheat oven to 180°
250gr sugar
1 bag Vanilla Sugar
400gr flour
1 back baking powder
2 tbsp dark cacao powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt
250ml milk
50gr dark couverture chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp strawberry gelée
Add the eggs one at a time. Gradually add in the flour, baking powder, cacao powder, cinnamon and a pinch of salt.
Mix in the milk, stirring until batter is smooth. Stir in the chocolate. Add the strawberry jelly.
Line a cupcake pan with baking cups, I prefere them in white.
Fill baking cups about 2/3 full and bake for 15-20 minutes. In case you want to do the toothpick test, it doesn't have to come out clean. The chocolate cupcakes are best if not baked entirely through, so they remain soft and fudgy.
Remove from the oven, put cupcakes on a cooling rack, and allow to cool to room temperature before starting with the frosting.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
125gr cold butter
a few drops of vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
250gr powder sugar
125ml whipping cream
3 tbsp strawberry gelée
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and powder sugar until smooth. Add the salt and a few drops of vanilla.
Gradually beat in the soft butter.
Separately beat the whipping cream until stiff. Mix with the rest and add the strawberry gel.
Meanwhile the cupcakes should be cooled off.
If you think the frosting is too soft either add some powder sugar, or cover the bowl and cool for a few minutes before filling the pipe and start decorating the cupcakes.
After trying this recipe for the frosting, I must admit it turned a bit soft.
I am not a big fan, but if you like your icing to be perfectly in place and shape, you might think of adding a bit of whipping cream stiffener. Helps to make the cream a bit starchy.
Either way - ENJOY!
