It's my very first cupcake hero challenge and the magic ingredient this month is cocoa. At first I was a little stumped. I didn't want to make your regular Joe chocolate cupcakes, but I didn't want to do the ancho chile thing either (since I figured several of my competition may take that route). What to do? What to do? (Jeoprady theme song playing in the background)
Then it hit me. Cocoa. I decided to take the cocoa challenge literally. I made hot cocoa cupcakes with marshmallow icing (from Gigi Cakes), topped with a homemade toasted marshmallow. I found Gale Gand's recipe for Hot Cocoa Cupcakes on the Food Network and followed her advice to make them more "official". I baked them in oven safe coffee cups. Ta-da! Hot Chocolate you can eat with a spoon.
The cake is soft, bouncy and really good warm and the icing is light, fluffy and just the right amount of sweet. The homemade marshmallows are, well, yummy enough for their own post (see previous as I curtsy to Ms. Martha).
Hot Cocoa Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 cup, plus 1 Tbsp., unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup, plus 1 Tbsp., vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla (I used 1 tsp.)
3/4 cup very hot water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease and flour coffee cups.
Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Transfer to standing mixer with whisk attachment and blend briefly.
Whisk together eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla in medium bowl.
Add to dry mixture and blend on low speed.
Gradually add hot water until incorporated, using low speed.
Pour into prepared coffee cups.
Bake 25-30 minutes, or until cakes pass the toothpick test.
Makes 6 large cupcakes.
Fluffy Boiled Icing
Ingredients: From GigiCakes.blogspot.com
3 tablespoons of meringue powder
1/2 cup of cold water
2 cups of sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup of water
Directions:
Beat meringue powder and cold water until stiff, about 4 minutes.
In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, corn syrup, and water.
Bring to boil and cool slightly.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the syrup mixture to the meringue.
Then beat on high for 4 minutes, until stiff and glossy.
Store at room temperature.
14 comments:
HAH well you already know this from our emails, but I WAS GOING TO DO THIS!!!! get out of my head! :)
now don't you wish you would have told me what you did when i asked last week? you could have saved me $10 in oven-safe mugs hahaa.
they look FABULOUS though, probably way better than anything i could have pulled off. kudos chickie!!!
I am still totally giggling that we had the same plan and didn't tell each other. Too funny!
I said it before and I'll say it again- Great minds think alike.
I know whatever you make will be super creative and yummy! I can't wait to see what you come up with. :)
I love that you baked your cupcakes in little cups. That is adorable!
mmmm...looks good, and baked right in the cup, too--i love it!
I love that you baked them *in* the coffee cups! What a genius idea. I better get my butt cracking on my CH entry. Just wish I knew what I was doing... oops! Where did this month go?? LOL
Clara
Wow you've been very busy girl. These look amazing. I bow in your greatness.
Love,
Slackermom
Hehe, this is a great idea. They look so warm and yummy! I love how they look just like a cup of hot cocoa, but in a cupcake form :). I just finished up my first Cupcake Hero entry last week :D.
You are such a fantastic baker and cook - I so envy you!!!!! The cupcakes looks delicious.
tanya- thank you! I was happy to use the cups as well. :)
whisk and spoon- Thank you!
clara- you better get cracking! I keep looking and I keep sporting a pouty face. :)
amy- thanks for "pimping" me on your blog! Ha! It was good to see you last weekend. It had been too long!
Sophie- your cupcake hero looks great! Thanks for stopping by and for the comment!
Nina's Kitchen- Are you kidding me? You make amazing things all the time! I covet that mussel soup!
These look amazing! And you totally went the extra mile making your own marshmallows! Fantastic!
Thanks Mary!
The marshmallows are SO easy and so good toasted! I want to make them again and try Smitten Kitchen's smore's pie.
These look just like a cup of hot cocoa with whipped cream. Yum!
How great that you can even eat these with a spoon! From the looks of your last photo, this wasn't difficult to do :-) And I love the idea of marshmallow frosting. For your first foray into the cupcake hero challenge, you sure picked a good one!
That first photograph's giving me a gastric orgasm....beeooteefool!
Post a Comment