Cupcake Redemption

Considering how much fun I had with yesterday's blog and my clever use of the color green, I decided to once again mix things up by typing today's post in purple. A lovely color, one that always seems right for any occasion. Any-who, its blogging time!


I AM VICTORIOUS. 

Indeed, today I celebrated a sweet triumph in the kitchen. For those who didn't read yesterday's post (and don't think I don't know who you are!) I suffered a minor major embarrassing slight setback at my attempt in baking a batch of black bean brownies. Here's just a snippet of a review I received this afternoon from a still disgruntled family member: "...They left a less then pleasing aftertaste in my mouth". But tonight, I jumped back into the kitchen with a determination to comeback from such a misstep. I won't sugar coat it, this baking affair did take some time -not as bad as the last time- and some in-depth research. Like, what does a double boiler look like? It seems no one in my family knew the answer to that despite a promise that we actually owned one. Well, I tore apart my mom's cabinet but that yielded nothing. So, I asked my dad for assistance. He didn't find it either. That left me with two options: find two pots to use in place of a double boiler, or just melt the ingredients in the microwave. Perhaps at another time in my life, I impulsively would have performed the latter action. However, I have grown wiser since starting this challenge and know that melting something in the microwave would have resulted in the thing getting burned. So, I sought out an alternative. It took awhile but I eventually found a suitable solution.

Though this might only be the fourth cupcake recipe that I have made thus far, it is already my favorite. Why? 'Cause I got to use chocolate! And not just any form of a chocolate, but -and this is for those who haven't guessed it yet- I got to melt it too. That's right, me, the girl who forgets the difference between granulated and confectioners sugar melted chocolate (and butter) on the stove. And yes, I even turned the stove on myself. Chocolate in my opinion is just one those indulgences that you don't need an excuse to eat. In addition to that, chocolate can have positive effects on one's health. Just check out some of these facts. Facts are taken from www.longevity.about.com

-A small bar of dark chocolate eaten on a daily basis can help keep you cardiovascular system healthy by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.

-Chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins.

-It contains serotonin which acts as an anti-depressent.

Who knew chocolate could do all that?

As for a solution to my double broiler problem, I used the pot above and placed it on top of a bigger pot filled with simmering water. The butter and chocolate melted perfectly. Once that was done and cooling, I got to try another new baking technique; separating the yolk from the egg whites. I must give a special thanks to the bakers who post videos on youtube.com. I just watched a short tutorial and voilà, I was yolking (is that even a word?) the eggs like a pro.

I really am impressed at how well this endeavor turned out. I was certain that this would be the part of the recipe that I would mess up on big time. I would also like to add that this recipe called for a lot of eggs (4 eggs and 4 yolks) so consider your budget if you plan on making these cupcakes. I made two batches today, one that made a dozen (the proper amount) and then a batch of six. If you're tight on cash and can't afford to go through a package of eggs, consider cutting the recipe in half. Once everything was combined, I poured the batter into the cupcake pan and placed (yes, I did that part too) the cupcakes into the oven. I was actually really nervous about this recipe since I had never made something that was flourless before. I wasn't really sure what to expect so when the timer when off, my heart nearly stopped beating when I went in to use the toothpick trick. Knowing that they would be airy and light, I was a bit unsure if they were actually done or not. So, I stuck them back in for a few more minutes. When I pulled them out the second time, I knew that they were done. How? They just looked and smelled perfect. Of course, this was after having already made one batch :P The first one I probably should have left in for another minute or two. They're probably fine, but they seemed a bit soft but then again, what do I know?

This time around, the baking only took about two hours from prep to finish (this includes cleaning up). While I've put the dozen cupcakes into the fridge for the night -I will be bringing them in to work tomorrow for my class- the remaining six were served at dinner. While I had originally anticipated on serving the cupcakes on Wednesday after making the frosting, I decided to throw caution to the wind and served them anyway. Besides, I really couldn't have counted the variations anyway since the recipes were all the same with the exception of the frosting. After topping it with whipped cream and a chopped strawberry, I cautiously took a bite...yum. Heaven in a cupcake wrapper! Even so, I needed to hear the opinions of my family members before relishing in my victory.

The photo to my left is of my sister's cupcake. Unfortunately she is allergic to strawberries so she had her's plain. However, the exclusion of fruit didn't hamper the final taste of the cupcake. Which, I can proudly add, she loved. Talk about making a major come back after last night. My mom also had one and agreed, these cupcakes were great! 

Overall,I can write off today's baking experience as a success. I discovered how to overcome not owning a double boiler, how to turn my mom's stove top on, and, that I enjoy baking while listening to music. What did I listen to today? The original cast recording from the broadway show, The Book of Mormon. If you like funny musicals that aren't afraid of going there, then this one that you should definitely check out.

Alright, I've done four recipes, only 496 to go; I wonder what I should do next? Hmmm, my mom bought me a thing of heavy cream to use, perhaps I should make something that uses that. *Flips through cupcake book* Ah ha! I've got it. Chai Cupcakes. And this recipe actually has some real variations. Other then just the recipe above, I'll be baking chocolate chips & chai cupcakes, cinnamon  & orange chai cupcakes, and, white chocolate and vanilla chai cupcakes. I'm excited. Only problem is that they don't use heavy cream in the frosting. Oh well. I'll figure something out.

Well, I'm going to go work out right now. Those flourless chocolate cupcakes might haven been delicious, but you can bet that they are fattening; talk about an indulgence.

Until next time,

Jill

Ultimate Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes, adapted from Fergal Connolly's 500 Cupcakes.

1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz) bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp. ground almonds (which I didn't use due to working at a nut-free camp)
2 tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Place 12 paper baking cups in a muffin pan. Put the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, or medium bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir until completely melted. Set aside to cool. In large bowl, cream the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and thick. Gently fold in the melted chocolate and remaining ingredients. 

Spoon the batter into the cups. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack.