I seriously thought about not making this weeks recipe. It’s been a rather stressful week and I wasn’t sure how much in the mood I was to tackle a baking project this week. Plus, it was cupcakes which everyone knows I detest. Then as I was reading through the recipe I started seeing all the gimmicks again and I really wasn’t sure that I wanted to be bothered with these. It was a last minute decision to go ahead and do them. I know that I will incur the wrath of many for this but I absolutely can not wait until this national craze for having cutesy, ridiculous cupcakes for every occasion has vanished. I can’t wait until cupcakes are once again a lunchbox snack for 5 year olds and not smacking me in the face everywhere I go. There, I said it and I feel much better. These were okay but I think I am still OD’d on last weeks way too intense blast of chocolate. I find that as I get older my tolerance for chocolate is decreasing and I just found last weeks recipe as well as these to be way too chocolate for my taste. I know I will never make these again but if someone asked me I would say to leave out the syrup and the glaze and just frost them with a nice vanilla buttercream and be done with it. Okay, enough griping. Let’s bake.
They are really very easy to make. Cocoa and boiling water are mixed and set aside to come to room temperature. (We have done this in several recipes and I have to wonder if using melted chocolate would work just as well, realizing there is a difference in cocoa butter and fat content. I need to try it someday).
Cocoa and boiling water mixture
Meanwhile whisk together cake and all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
Dry ingredients
When the cocoa mixture is at room temperature add the oil and egg yolks and mix, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium. Beat this mixture for about a minute. Then add half the flour mixture and beat to moisten the dry ingredients. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Adding the dry ingredients
Then add the egg whites and blend starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high. Beat for about 2 minutes. Pour the batter into a cup with a pour spout.
The completed batter
Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake cups. I still never understand why Rose wants us to grease and flour the paper liners but suffice it to say I never do it. And I won’t even get into the silliness with the foil liners and the paper liners. Suffice it to say, I didn’t do it.
Ready for baking
Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
The baked cupcakes
While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the ganache syrup. Chop the milk and dark chocolates and put them in a bowl. Scald the cream and pour it over the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth, then whisk in the vanilla.
The finished ganache syrup
While the baked cupcakes are still hot, poke holes all over them with a skewer and brush the syrup over them and allow it to sink in. Repeat this process until all the syrup is used.
Applying the ganache syrup
Make the lacquer glaze. We have done this several times so I won’t bother to go over the method for that again. Glaze the cupcakes by pouring the glaze over them with a teaspoon and smoothing it with the back of the spoon. Allow the glaze to set. Enjoy!
Next Up: Lemon Meringue Cake
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Very pretty! Perfect glaze.
mmm, so lots of chocolate.. I have yet to start on making mine… the eggs are coming to room temperature
But since I miss last week.. And we are totally banana-out.. chocolate cupcakes it is.
Sorry, you were not satisfied with the end product.. but they look great!
Hello there, I just want to say I understand your comment about cupcakes. I don’t get them too – way too much frosting and just so … cute. Alas, I think we are outnumbered.
Very funny post Raymond. I love it when you have a good vent. Had a very big snicker at the silliness of the foil and inners whilst glazing. It is a bit like novels that favor the tangent, my brain translates fussiness and tangent into blah blah blah and I just skip over it.
I kind of like the cupcake thing – quick to cook, portion sized etc. I don’t get the masses of icing though – I can’t wait for that phase to pass! I totally agree with you about the chocolate thing… the older my palate gets, the less it tolerates chocolate overload. Bring on the Lemon Meringue
Hey, if I click on that link for Diet Patches do you earn some money? Or is a tip for the HCB’ers?
Very pretty! I’m with you on the fussiness, especially as my cupcake papers (and the foil liners, too) were a complete mess by the end of the ganache stage. I’m just not careful enough for these fussy things to turn out as designed.
Looks great to me! Despite you not really happy with cupcakes but you made them really pretty!
Just wanted to say, I thoroughly enjoy your weekly blog and candid comments! No matter that some of the recipes may inspire a little grumbling; you are obviously a good sport (or else OCD, heh heh!) since you faithfully bake them all anyway. And I hope that next week is less stressful for you. Stress begone!!
Great write up. I totally understand your puzzlement over the current cupcake craze. Personally speaking, I’d much rather bake, present, and eat a lovely cake.
I’ve also questioned Rose’s suggestion to spray the cupcake liners with oil – what’s that all about?? Sounds like a huge mess in the making to me.
Anyway, great photos – I’m drooling over your copper whisk.
RE your cocoa powder vs. chocolate question – Rose says melted chocolate isn’t as strong in flavor as cocoa powder, so you’d probably prefer that.
ButterYum
I really enjoyed this post, love the rants.
I think the cupcake craze is more a “buying” thing, not a baking thing. Like macarons, you can buy different flavors, and everyone can have their own”cake”.
As to spraying the cupcake/muffin liners, I picked this up from the blog over at King Arthur Flour, they recommend it to prevent cake from sticking to the liners. Don’t you hate when you peel a liner off a muffin, and a thick layer of muffin sticks to the liner? Well okay, I just stopped using liners….but when I do, I spray them.
I made this once and my cake domed so high. I guess it’s due to me baking them in a metal pan instead of a silicon one.