recipe \\ chocolate orange cupcakes

Apart from cinnamon and apples, and white chocolate and raspberry, I think chocolate and orange is one my favourite flavour combinations. There something silently brilliant about this pairing and I do enjoy snacking on a Terry's Chocolate Orange once in a while (especially at Christmas time!)

I had a chocolate orange loitering in my fridge unopened (yes, I keep my chocolate in the fridge, anyone else do that?) and I had a hankering to make my lovely trust chocolate cupcake recipe. Marriage made in heaven? I think so.

Ingredients
175g butter
175g soft brown sugar
3 large eggs
175g self raising flour
4tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp milk

Method
1. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the eggs in one at a time.
2. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture and mix well. Stir in the milk.
3. Divide into paper cases lined in a cupcake tin (this should yield around 12) and put in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius for around 20-25 minutes.
4. Leave to cool in the tin for around 5 minutes then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool further.

Swirl on some chocolate buttercream and carefully place a segment of chocolate orange to finish off. Admire the beauty and then devour with gusto. 

Bon appétit!

Vanessa

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Today's Bake: Chocolate Roulade

*Sigh* When will I ever get to make the perfect roulade with the perfect roll? There is something about roulade (made it's the 'rou' in the 'lade') that brings me out in a nervous sweat just before I'm about to roll it. I shall not admit defeat and keep persevering with it because after all...practice makes perfect! Nevertheless, this is delicious (and I'm not just saying that because I made it!) but it is perfect for the chocoholic inside all of us! It's a very light cake as it's made without any flour or butter and relying on whisking the eggs to light clouds to maintain its cakey structure.

Recipe (Adapted from The Great British Bake-Off)
100g Dark Chocolate
100g Milk Chocolate
6 Eggs
175g Caster Sugar
2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder


150ml Double Cream
1Tbsp Caster Sugar
Icing Sugar (for dusting)


Line a baking tin with greaseproof paper and set to one side. Put both types of chocolate into a heatproof bowl over boiling water (don't let the water touch the base of the bowl). Leave to melt and stir occasionally. Once melted, leave to cool or just warm. 


Preheat the oven to 180 Degree Celsius/350 Fahrenheit/ Gas 4. Separate the eggs, put the egg whites in a large mixing bowl and set the egg yolks to one side. Whisk the egg whites with an electric whisk until they stand in stiff peaks (TIP: if you turn the bowl upside down, the egg whites shouldn't fall out)


Put the sugar in with the egg yolks and whisk with an electric whisk until thick and pale in colour. Pour the melted chocolate into the egg yolk and sugar mixture and fold in with a wooden spoon. Add 2 large spoonfuls of the egg whites to loosen the mix and stir in gently. Fold in the remaining egg whites using a large metal spoon (please be gentle, you don't want to knock out all the air that you created earlier!)


Sift in the cocoa powder and gently fold in. Pour the mixture into the tin prepared earlier and level out. Bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen, top feels firm and slightly crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.


Lay a large piece of greaseproof paper on the tabletop and dust with a little icing sugar. Turn the sponge over and peel off the paper. Whip up the cream and caster sugar until really thick consistency. Spread the cream over the sponge cake. Make a small SHALLOW cut into one edge of the sponge to start off your roll. Roll the cake tightly using the greaseproof paper to help. Finish with the cut underneath and transfer to a serving board or plate.


Serve immediately or leave in the fridge to cool further. This cake should be eaten within 2-3 days.


It may not look like it'll win any beauty awards (although I'm glad the cracks over the top look somewhat uniform!) no-one will be complaining and it'll taste delicious! If you have any tips on how to get the perfect roll, please let me know! I'm forever wanting to know the secret to it!

Vanessa

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Today's Bake: Chocolate Velvet Cupcakes

Oh. My. Goodness. Today has to be one of the worst days ever to decide to make cupcakes. Everywhere in my house is roasting hot because of this absolutely fabulous weather that Mother Nature has bestowed upon us! In turn, this makes icing these bad boys a difficult task. But I prevailed and now these little mountains of yummy goodness are chilling my living room of all places (the only place in my house with a cooler temperature than THE SUN!)

What are these beautiful creations I hear you ask? Well, these are Chocolate Velvet Cupcakes with a Vanilla Frosting. I make an effort to bake at least once a week and with only a 3 person family living in our household, most of these cakes will be making its way down to BrotherTron's work to be devoured by hungry engineers!

I plan to make these 'baking/cakes' type posts a regular thing because...who doesn't love a bit of food porn now and then!

This is a cupcake literally 'sweating' in this heat!

Recipe (adapted from The Great British Bake Off)
175ml Semi Skimmed or Full-Fat Milk
100g Dark Chocolate (an additional 50g milk chocolate for extra yumminess!)
125g Caster Sugar
60g Unsalted Butter, Softened
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Large Egg (room temperature)
150g Self-Raising Flour


Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ Gas 4. Pour milk into a saucepan with the chocolate and a third of the sugar. Set over a very low heat and leave until smooth and melted. Stir frequently and remove from the heat once done. Set aside.


Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon or electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat. 


Gradually add the egg beating well after each addition (add a spoonful of flour if the mix starts to curdle slightly). Using a metal spoon or spatula, fold in the flour in 3 batches alternating with the chocolate liquid made earlier. When all mixed together, spoon the mixture into paper cases until about 2/3 full.


Bake for 15-18 minutes until cakes are well risen and spring back when gently pressed. Leave to cool in the tin for 2 minutes then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.


At this point you can ice it however you want to. I chose vanilla buttercream to offset the sweetness of the chocolate cake. But if you can't wait any longer...you may eat them at this point!


Please for the love of God do not store these in the fridge! It's one of my pet peeves and is just a pointless task! Leave at a suitably cool room temperature and aim to eat them with 3 days, although they really won't last that long!

I really hope you enjoyed this different post today as I really hope to share more of my culinary delights with you more often!

Bon appétit!

Vanessa

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