Week Two: Aztec-Chile Chocolate Cupcakes

Welcome to Week Two with spicy Aztec-Chile Chocolate Cupcakes!

I also found this recipe in the Big Book Of Cupcakes.

I found these cupcakes were okay, I'm not generally a big fan of spicy things, but it went quite well with the chocolate cake. Also, these cupcake liners were so cool, I just had to use them. I think that any black or metal like liners would look really good with these cupcakes.

Some tips:

I recommend putting the chocolate shard garnish on right before you serve these. I put mine on when I was done making them and as you can see, the chocolate shard decoration melted. They still tasted fine, they just didn't look as good.

If you don't like spicy things, you can not add as much or if you do like spicy things, you can add more, although I would not recommend that as you could mess up the recipe.

Here is the recipe for the cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup hot water
2/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar (granulated)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
+ 3 teaspoons ancho chili powder
+ 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne

Directions:

1. Heat oven the 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line cupcake pans.
2. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, ancho chili powder, and cayenne; set aside.
3. In another small bowl, mix hot water and cocoa powder until dissolved. (Use a whisk).
4. In a large bowl, beat the shortening on medium (4 with KitchenAid) for 30 seconds. Gradually add in sugar, beating well after each addition. Beat 2 minutes longer.
5. Add in eggs one at a time. Beat well then add vanilla.
6. On low speed (2 or stir for KitchenAid), alternately adding the flour mixture and cocoa mixture until blended.
7. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full.
8. Bake 20 to 25 (22 min. worked perfectly for me) or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Cool, frost, and enjoy!

Icing Ingredients:

1/2 cup softened butter
3 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee powder
3-4 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

1. Mix butter and cooled chocolate until combined.
2. Add in powdered sugar and cinnamon.
3. Stir the espresso powder into 2 tablespoons milk until dissolved. (Use another whisk).
4. Beat in espresso mixture into frosting mixture along with the vanilla.
5. Beat in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved.
6. Frost and enjoy!

Garnish Ingredients:

1 bag (11.5 oz.) milk chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

Directions:

1. Line a cookie sheet with foil.
2. In a 1-quart saucepan, melt the chocolate chips over low heat until smooth. Stir constantly.
3. Remove from heat and spread over foil covered cookie sheet. Should be about 1/8 of an inch thick.
4. Refrigerate until set. About 30 minutes.
5. Break into pieces and decorate iced cupcakes!

Thanks for baking with me!

-Laura

Week One: Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes

Welcome to Week One. It's all about a fantastic recipe for Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes.

I found this recipe in a cupcake recipe book called The Big Book of Cupcakes. It has tons of great cupcake recipes in it.

I think that these cupcakes, with the picnic like liners, would be good for like, I don't know, a picnic. They just remind me of some Southern Belle girl, dainty yet with a touch of country in her.
I suggest some type of blue checkered cupcake liners or liners of your choosing.

Some tips:

I messed up on making the icing and made this weird goopy, grainy mixture. I do not recommend that, though it tasted good, it did not look appealing to the eye. I did change the directions so you would make a buttercream instead of whatever I made.

Within the cake, the blueberries did juice a bit and the cupcake liner got a bit soggy on the bottom. I suggest lining them twice.

So, here's the recipe and directions for making the cake:

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup milk
+ 1 cup blueberries
+ 1 tablespoon flour

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
2. Line cupcake pan with chosen/recommended liners.
3. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium (setting 4 for Kitchenaid) for 30 seconds.
5. Gradually add sugar (1/4 cup at a time). Beat well after each addition.
6. Don't forget to scrape the bowl.
7. Beat 2 minutes longer.
8. Beat in the grated lemon peel and vanilla.
9. On low speed (stir setting for Kitchenaid) alternatively add four mixture and milk, a little at a time.
10. Beat until blended.
11. Fold in the blueberries, adding more if you please.
12. Fill cupcake liners, about 2/3 full.
13. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (21 minutes was perfect for me). They're done when a toothpick comes out clean.
14. Take them out and let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes then remove from pan.
15. Frost, decorate, and then enjoy!

Frosting recipe:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cups unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 table spoon milk

Directions:

1. Beat butter until smooth.
2. Add lemon peel, salt, vanilla, and milk.
3. Beat until blended.
4. Slowly add in sugar.
5. Beat for 4 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
6. Add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until you have reached your desired texture.
7. Frost cupcakes.

Garnish:

1 cup fresh blueberries
Lemon peel twists
Fresh mint leaves

Directions:

I placed a few blueberries on the top of the cupcake, stuck a mint leaf between the two and started on making the lemon peel twists...
I sliced strips of lemon with the width that I wanted the twists to be and pushed out the lemon flesh in the center. Don't touch your eyes. I repeat. Do. Not. Touch. Your. Eyes. It will sting. Also, you should have parental supervision if you are under aged.
After, I took a small paring knife and cut the lemon peel. Don't cut it in half or anything, just cut one side so it still looks like a circle of lemon peel but it's just cut so you can pull it apart. I then dragged the knife around the inside or around the white part of the lemon and cut the rest of the fleshy part off the lemon off.
I cut and inch to an inch and a half inch strips of lemon rind, took each end and curled, or twisted, it into a little spiral. You should hold them for a while so they can stay curled.
Gently place your lemon peel twists next to the blueberries and mint leaf and enjoy!
(Note: I don't suggest eating the lemon peel twist or the mint leaf.)

Thanks for baking with me!

-Laura