These are so rich! They are decadent, in the true sense of the word, which (fun fact) is, courtesy of the Oxford English Dictionary on my computer, one of my favorite aspects of the macbook alongside that screen exploder key that lets you click whatever window.
decadent |ˈdekədənt|adjectivecharacterized by or reflecting a state of moral or cultural decline.• luxuriously self-indulgent : a decadent soak in a scented bath.nouna person who is luxuriously self-indulgent.
So, back to food. I had bought a bunch of cupcake/muffin tin liners while I was home, and so I was feeling like I needed to put them to use and bake, since it would take some effort to bake through a couple hundred cupcake wrappers. I found a recipe for cupcakes that looked quite delicious on SK and took off to the HIT with grocery list in hand. I haven't really made a lot of cupcakes before, and this middle filling was an interesting concept to me. All in all, I think it turned out pretty well, and as over half are gone already, I'd say they have been received with enthusiasm.
For the filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, regular or reduced fat, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder [SK says not Dutch-process, but that is all I had, and it seemed to work just fine]
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Make the filling:
Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.
Make the cupcakes:
1. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line the tin with paper muffin cups.
2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until just smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter and end up with less-than-tender cupcakes.
4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few tablespoons* of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely,** which is fine. [Mine cooked over quite a bit but also rose quite a bit, so it ended up being okay. I think it was almost just barely too much for 12 cupcakes though.]
5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown.
Two notes by SK:
* If you choose to go mini for these, keep the filling at a tablespoon or less, lest you run out, as, ahem, someone else may have.
** Though I’ve only made this recipe one, and therefore don’t think you should take my input as absolute authority, I’ve got to advise against actually letting these guys fill up. Not an issue if you’re going full-size, but if you go mini, aim for 90 percent full.
decadent |ˈdekədənt|adjectivecharacterized by or reflecting a state of moral or cultural decline.• luxuriously self-indulgent : a decadent soak in a scented bath.nouna person who is luxuriously self-indulgent.
So, back to food. I had bought a bunch of cupcake/muffin tin liners while I was home, and so I was feeling like I needed to put them to use and bake, since it would take some effort to bake through a couple hundred cupcake wrappers. I found a recipe for cupcakes that looked quite delicious on SK and took off to the HIT with grocery list in hand. I haven't really made a lot of cupcakes before, and this middle filling was an interesting concept to me. All in all, I think it turned out pretty well, and as over half are gone already, I'd say they have been received with enthusiasm.
For the filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, regular or reduced fat, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder [SK says not Dutch-process, but that is all I had, and it seemed to work just fine]
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Make the filling:
Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.
Make the cupcakes:
1. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line the tin with paper muffin cups.
2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until just smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter and end up with less-than-tender cupcakes.
4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few tablespoons* of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely,** which is fine. [Mine cooked over quite a bit but also rose quite a bit, so it ended up being okay. I think it was almost just barely too much for 12 cupcakes though.]
5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown.
Two notes by SK:
* If you choose to go mini for these, keep the filling at a tablespoon or less, lest you run out, as, ahem, someone else may have.
** Though I’ve only made this recipe one, and therefore don’t think you should take my input as absolute authority, I’ve got to advise against actually letting these guys fill up. Not an issue if you’re going full-size, but if you go mini, aim for 90 percent full.
No comments:
Post a Comment