Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?

Passport & Plate - Sin City

USA | Friday, March 14, 2014 | 1 photos

Ingredients
Buttermilk Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup water
(Taste of Home)

And Oreo Cookies! That's the twist. You can exhange this for any other treat you want to be the surprise in the cupcake.

White Meringue Frosting
3/4 cup (170 g) granulated white sugar
3 large egg whites
2 tbsp cold water
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
(Cake Journal)

 

How to prepare this recipe
Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Combine buttermilk and water. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk and water, beating well after each addition.
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Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full then place a cookie in the batter. . Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
(Taste of Home)

Frosting
It is best to make this frosting in a metal bowl from a kitchen mixer. But if you dont have one you can make it in a double boiler, using a hand mixer.

Place all ingredients in the mixer bowl and whisk until well combined. Fill a saucepan with water about (2-3 cups). The saucepan should be large enough for the mixer bowl to “rest in it” but without touching the bottom of the saucepan.

When the water is shimmering place the bowl in the sauce pan and whisk the mixture. The mixture must not boil. Whisk until all the sugar is dissovled or you will end up with a grainy looking frosting. Check to see if it has reached a temperature of 160-170 F (70-75 C) Remove from the saucepan.

Place the bowl in the kitchen mixer with the whisk attachment on. Whisk the meringue frosting until stiff peaks forms and has a glossy look. This can take up to 12 -15 minutes or more.

The when the meringue frosting is ready, you can use it as it is or color it with food gel colors. This frosting will crust over time but the center of the frosting swirl will still be thick and fluffy.
(Cake Journal)

Spritz the frosting on the cupcakes and sprinkle on some garnish to make the cupcakes look even more festive.

 

The story behind this recipe
My friend Caroline served us chocolate cupcakes as dessert at Thanksgiving Dinner two years ago. She used whipped cream as topping with a brownie base for the cupcake. Brilliant. And, I, of course had to be a copycat and try the recipe at home.

Then around Easter last year, I had the privilege of doing an article on Mariam Misty, owner of Serenity Cupcakes in Denmark. I watched Mariam make different cupcakes from scratch, and of course the chocolate cupcake reared its delicious head, again.

What I appreciated the most with the chocolate muffin was that, when I bit into it, there was an oreo cookie in the middle which made for a great combination with the meringue frosting. I won't delve into how many of them I ate, because frankly speaking, it's embarrasing. But it was more than one, and let's leave it at that.