Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

What's the best way to spend a rainy afternoon? Bake away I say! After a failed second attempt at macarons on Tuesday, I decided I need some cupcake lovin to cheer myself up. Shall not elaborate on my failed macarons, that will be a long whiny post. Anyway, I was feeling the craving of something with chocolate chips in it so I consulted the brilliant Martha Stewart and baked her Chocolate Chip Cupcakes recipe.

The cupcakes are yummy - obviously. You can't go wrong with Martha Stewart. But I ditched her buttercream frosting for another one that I have which has a strong vanilla flava to it. It topped the cupcake perfectly.

And if you notice my past frosting, you'll see that I don't frost very well. But today, everything changed! That's because I have gotten the best decorating tip for frosting cupcakes! It's the Wilton's 1M Star tip. My frosting turned out beautifully and it was so much fun! I was disappointed that I only had 12 to frost.

I was afraid that these cupcakes might turn out too sweet cos I almost went overboard with loading the cupcakes with chips. But my partner ate the whole cupcake without flinching and usually I'm the sugar monster! Here's what you'll need:

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

(bakes 12 cupcakes)

Cupcake:

- 1 3/4 cups cake flour

- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1 stick unsalted butter

- 1 cup white granulated sugar

- 3 egg whites

- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon milk

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 cup chocolate chips

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter

- 2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar (depending on how sweet you like your frosting)

- 1/8 teaspoon salt

- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- 2 tablespoons heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tray with paper liners.

2. Combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

3. Cream the butter and sugar in another bowl until light and fluffy.

4. Beat in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk (flour - milk - flour - milk - flour). Beat well after each addition.

5. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

6. Fold in half of the egg whites to lighten the batter. Followed by the remaining egg whites.

7. Fold in the chocolate chips.

8. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin cups.

9. Bake for 22 mins until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool for 20 mins before frosting.

10. Vanilla buttercream frosting: Cream the butter until smooth.

11. Beat in half of the powder sugar and salt, mix well for 1 min.

12. Then add the remaining powdered sugar and mix well for another 1 - 2 mins. Then add the vanilla extract and heavy cream and beat for 4 - 5 mins.

13. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large open star tip with the buttercream and frost the cooled cupcakes. If you like, you can sprinkle chocolate chips over the frosting.

And thank you to all of you who commented on my last posting. This blog is rather new so I was delighted to see more people are viewing and sharing what I love most - baking. I hope you continue to share my love for the sugar life. :o)

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

I am really in love with the Boston Cream Pie. Firstly, I have never had any until I moved to Boston last year. Secondly, my first slice of it was at Flour in Boston which by the way, bakes the most awesome Boston Cream Pie cake!

So since my attempt at the Boston Cream Pie cake turned out so well a couple of months ago, I have been thinking of attempting it in a cupcake form. And of course, I turned to Martha Stewart for help and there she had it - right at her website, the easy-to-follow recipe with the lovely photo to accompany. I adapted the recipe and tweaked some stuff.

I love everything about it...from the vanilla cream to the chocolate glaze. This is probably my favourite cupcake! I used the "cone" method to fill the cupcake with vanilla cream. And can I just say the "cone" method now makes cupcakes so much more interesting to bake. You can now have 3 different textures and flavas in a cupcake! I love the idea of biting into a cupcake and being surprised by a lovely flava in it!

I had loads of fun baking these (although I was a lil impatient, I couldn't wait to eat them)! Here's what you'll need:

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

(bakes 12 cupcakes)

Vanilla cream:

- 2 eggs yolks

- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar

- 2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1 cup milk

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cupcakes:

- 3 eggs

- 1 cup white granulated sugar

- 1 1/2 cups flour

- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 1/2 cup milk

Chocolate Ganache Glaze:

- 6 oz semisweet chocolate (chopped)

- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup

- 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Vanilla cream: Whisk the egg yolks until smooth.

2. Heat the sugar, cornstarch, salt and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly.

3. Stir it until the mixture thickens. Once the thickened mixture start to bubble, remove the saucepan from the heat.

4. Pour 1/3 of the thickened mixture into the yolks an whisk until smooth.

5. Return the yolk mixture to the rest of he mixture in the saucepan, place it back over heat. Add in the vanilla extract and stir it for another 4 mins.

6. Then pour the vanilla cream into a bowl and refridgerate for a few hours.

7. Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tray with paper liners. Then, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

8. In another bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until pale. Takes about 5 mins.

9. Add in the flour mixture and mix well.

10. Place the butter and milk in a saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a boil.

11. Then pour the mixture into the batter and beat well. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.

12. Scoop the batter into the muffin cups.

13. Bake for 15 mins until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool for 20 mins.

14. Take out the vanilla cream from the fridge and beat it until it's smooth. Set it aside to let it come to room temperature.

15. Chocolate ganache glaze: Place the chopped chocolate and light corn syrup in a heat-proof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a boil over medium heat, once it boils, pour it over the chocolate. Let it stand for 3 mins.

16. Then whisk it until it's smooth. Set aside to let it cool.

17. Assembly: Using a paring knife, cut out a cone-shaped top from the top of the cupcakes.

18. Fill the holes with the vanilla cream.

19. Place back the tops of the cupcakes.

20. Finally, pour a tablespoon full of chocolate ganache over the tops of the cupcakes.

Yummy yummy! I hope you share my love for these Boston Cream Pie cupcakes cos I sure am dying over them!

Pineapple Tarts Round 2!

It's the Chinese Lunar New Year and being away from home means I am missing out on loads and loads of yummy festive goodies. :o( I have to stop thinking about it or I will get grouchy from the craving.

However, these is one festive goody that I baked - pineapple tarts! I made these before and they were soooo good the last time that I made slightly a lil more this time round. And even though I was running out of flour and baked these with 1/4 cup less flour, these tarts still turned out perfect! Maybe a lil messy looking cos I baked them in a rush but who cares! Out from the oven, into my mouth! I didn't even share these babies with anyone else. *evil laughter*

So I've had over 20 pineapple tarts in 48 hours. There are 5 left in the container and I just wanna eat them all up! I am even contemplating baking another batch...

Gratification

Jam Cupcakes

It's been a few weeks since I had a cupcake and I was craving for one sooooo badly. I was debating between a red velvet cupcake or a boston cream pie cupcake. But a trip to the Martha Stewart website made me drool over jam-filled cupcakes and I was all set for baking!

This is the first time I am using the cone method - where you carve out the top of the cupcakes, fill the hole with jam and replace the top you carved out. I was so afraid I would carve out too much or too lil but it was easy and so fun!

I also used a slightly different chocolate frosting than the one that was recommended on Martha Stewart's website. And I do not regret at all! This frosting is suuuuuper yummy! It's not overtly sweet due to the blend of using semisweet and bittersweet chocolate. A fluffy yellow cupcake filled with black raspberry jam topped with a rich chocolate frosting....OH YES.

This recipe will bake 12 cupcakes. Here's what you'll need,

Jam Cupcakes:

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter

- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar

- 1 1/2 cups flour

- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

- 3/4 teaspoon salt

- 2 eggs

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1/2 cup milk

- 1/4 cup jam (any flava you crave)

Chocolate frosting:

- 6 oz semisweet chocolate

- 2 oz bittersweet chocolate

- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1. Jam Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tray with paper liners.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In another mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.

5. Add in half of the flour mixture and alternate with the milk (flour - milk - flour). Mix well after each addition.

6. Using an ice cream scoop, fill the muffin tray with the batter.

7. Bake for 20 - 22 mins, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool for 20 mins.

8. Once the cupcakes are cooled, use the cone method - using a paring knife, cut out a circle in the middle of the cupcake. Do not cut till the bottom, make sure you only cut out a portion of the cupcake.

9. Fill the holes with jam and replace the tops.

10. Chocolate frosting: Chop the chocolates and place them in a heat proof bowl. Bring the heavy whipping cream and butter to a boil over medium heat in a saucepan. Then pour it over the chopped chocolate.

11. Let it stand for 2 mins then stir the mixture until it is smooth. Place it in the refridgerator for 15 mins to cool.

12. After it's cooled, beat the mixture until it is fluffy.

13. With a pastry bag, place the chocolate mixture into the bag and frost the cupcakes.

These are sooooo good, you're gonna find it hard to just eat one. Trust me!