Wake up in the morning feeling like P.Diddy. Grab my glasses, I'm out the door, I'm gonna hit the... kitchen. Yes, yet another late night/early morning baking project. And I'm guessing it's OK to listen to vintage Ke$ha at that hour.
The food I cook/eat comes under two categories: Healthy and Unhealthy. One day, I'm steaming broccoli and scrambling egg whites. The next day, I'm layering chunks of brownie with nuts/caramel/chocolate sauce and ice-cream.
I don't get the point behind "healthy" dessert. Sure, I'll chop fruit into my yogurt and I'll enjoy it. A Gwyneth Paltrow-ish dessert. On most days, however, you want a bodacious dessert. A diva-style dessert. When it enters the room, it should put you in a trance.
Enter the Beyonce of cupcakes. A dark chocolate cupcake with a peanut butter-filling and a bittersweet chocolate buttercream frosting. The kind of cupcake you can't even approach. The kind you can't finish a whole one of (if you can, power to you!) And the kind you bake only for the ones you <3 (prep work can be a bitch).
My favourite cousins in the whole world (one of the very few I can stand and vice versa) keep complaining about how I don't make any "special" desserts for them. If you know me moderately well, you've heard that dialogue from them at least once. Or a hundred times. Depends on how moderately well you know me/us. N emphatically says that I can't sneak in healthy "nonsense" into the things I cook for her. And S is a diva herself, and this cupcake is very befitting.
Or just make it if you love Reese's Pieces and you can't track them down in Madras. Odyssey always seems to have them, and yes, they are expensive. Peanut butter and Chocolate is second only to Coffee and Chocolate. Same level, actually. Even better, at times. Argh. We'll call it a tie.
Chocolate Cupcakes with a creamy Peanut-butter filling and Chocolate Buttercream frosting:
Ingredients:
27-30 chocolate cupcakes=>made with one batch of this recipe.
For the peanut butter filling:
1/2 cup butter, softened.
3/4 cup peanut butter.
1.5 to 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted.
1 tsp vanilla essence.
1-2 tbsps milk.
A pinch of salt.
For the frosting:
250 g bittersweet cooking chocolate, finely chopped.
3 tbsp cocoa powder.
3 tbsp boiling water.
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened.
1/2 cup icing sugar.
A pinch of salt.
Method:
Make a batch of cupcakes from any chocolate cake recipe. I use my fail-proof Hershey's recipe and get at least 27 big cupcakes out of each batch.
Let them completely cool down to room temperature.
For the peanut butter filling:
Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar and beat it in. Add the vanilla and a tbsp of milk. Beat until smooth.
Try the filling, and add more sugar and milk, until you get a creamy consistency and sweetness of your choice. I used 1.5 cups of sugar and SuperChunky Peanut butter and found it just right.
For the frosting:
Place the chocolate over a bain-marie or double boiler, and melt until smooth. Let it cool for 20 minutes, until the bowl is cool to touch.
Make sure NOT ONE DROP of water gets it; if it does, you can't use the chocolate for tempering/frosting, because it'll get lumpy. You can eat it neat or make hot chocolate with it.
Whisk the cocoa and boiling water in a separate bowl until smooth, in a separate bowl.
In a bowl, beat together the softened butter, sugar and salt until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, beat in the melted chocolate until combined. Finally, beat in the cocoa mix.
How to assemble the cupcakes.
You could use your icing cone to stuff in the filling, but since I used crunchy peanut butter, I had to use another method.
Since I had to transport them and they'd get messy anyway, I just spread the frosting on (and plus I was exhausted by then). Refrigerate (if you live in Madras), take them out 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Source:
Martha Stewart's Chocolate Buttercream frosting.
Peanut butter cream: adapted from How Sweet It is.
The food I cook/eat comes under two categories: Healthy and Unhealthy. One day, I'm steaming broccoli and scrambling egg whites. The next day, I'm layering chunks of brownie with nuts/caramel/chocolate sauce and ice-cream.
I don't get the point behind "healthy" dessert. Sure, I'll chop fruit into my yogurt and I'll enjoy it. A Gwyneth Paltrow-ish dessert. On most days, however, you want a bodacious dessert. A diva-style dessert. When it enters the room, it should put you in a trance.
Enter the Beyonce of cupcakes. A dark chocolate cupcake with a peanut butter-filling and a bittersweet chocolate buttercream frosting. The kind of cupcake you can't even approach. The kind you can't finish a whole one of (if you can, power to you!) And the kind you bake only for the ones you <3 (prep work can be a bitch).
My favourite cousins in the whole world (one of the very few I can stand and vice versa) keep complaining about how I don't make any "special" desserts for them. If you know me moderately well, you've heard that dialogue from them at least once. Or a hundred times. Depends on how moderately well you know me/us. N emphatically says that I can't sneak in healthy "nonsense" into the things I cook for her. And S is a diva herself, and this cupcake is very befitting.
Or just make it if you love Reese's Pieces and you can't track them down in Madras. Odyssey always seems to have them, and yes, they are expensive. Peanut butter and Chocolate is second only to Coffee and Chocolate. Same level, actually. Even better, at times. Argh. We'll call it a tie.
Chocolate Cupcakes with a creamy Peanut-butter filling and Chocolate Buttercream frosting:
Ingredients:
27-30 chocolate cupcakes=>made with one batch of this recipe.
For the peanut butter filling:
1/2 cup butter, softened.
3/4 cup peanut butter.
1.5 to 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted.
1 tsp vanilla essence.
1-2 tbsps milk.
A pinch of salt.
For the frosting:
250 g bittersweet cooking chocolate, finely chopped.
3 tbsp cocoa powder.
3 tbsp boiling water.
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened.
1/2 cup icing sugar.
A pinch of salt.
Method:
Make a batch of cupcakes from any chocolate cake recipe. I use my fail-proof Hershey's recipe and get at least 27 big cupcakes out of each batch.
Let them completely cool down to room temperature.
For the peanut butter filling:
 |
| You can use smooth peanut butter, but we won't be friends anymore. |
Beat together the butter and peanut butter until smooth and fluffy.
Try the filling, and add more sugar and milk, until you get a creamy consistency and sweetness of your choice. I used 1.5 cups of sugar and SuperChunky Peanut butter and found it just right.
 |
| When this starts boiling, put the heatproof bowl with chopped chocolate on top! |
Place the chocolate over a bain-marie or double boiler, and melt until smooth. Let it cool for 20 minutes, until the bowl is cool to touch.
Make sure NOT ONE DROP of water gets it; if it does, you can't use the chocolate for tempering/frosting, because it'll get lumpy. You can eat it neat or make hot chocolate with it.
Whisk the cocoa and boiling water in a separate bowl until smooth, in a separate bowl.
In a bowl, beat together the softened butter, sugar and salt until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, beat in the melted chocolate until combined. Finally, beat in the cocoa mix.
How to assemble the cupcakes.
You could use your icing cone to stuff in the filling, but since I used crunchy peanut butter, I had to use another method.
Carve out a hole in the centre of the cupcake.
Add a tablespoon of the peanut butter filling.
Place the top portion of the cake back on.
 |
| Ideal way to serve. |
Smother with frosting or decorate with swirls.
 |
| A passable way to do frosting. |
Since I had to transport them and they'd get messy anyway, I just spread the frosting on (and plus I was exhausted by then). Refrigerate (if you live in Madras), take them out 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Source:
Martha Stewart's Chocolate Buttercream frosting.
Peanut butter cream: adapted from How Sweet It is.
I put them all in a huge cookie jar, layered between sheets of butter/wax paper. This should shut their mouths for a while. And, one of them claimed that she died and went to heaven. The other said that she loved the cupcakes, but loves me more. Makes it well, well worth it.
Rabia. I love you sooooo much for this. :D it was seriously the most amazing thng i ve ever had!!! :) i still thin k of it and droooll!!
ReplyDeleteNigbe! <3 <3 As long as it isn't because you find most food yum!
ReplyDelete