Every single time I bake something with chocolate I use Finnish Fazer's baking chocolate. I think that it's the best chocolate you could use, and by using it I have always succeeded very well. These cupcakes are one of the best things you could imagine, if you're a friend of chocolate - and tell me someone who isn't. Tomorrow we are going to celebrate the end of the school year with my friends, and I want to surprise them by bringing these cupcakes :) I hope they like them.
This is the third time I'm baking these chocolate cupcakes, but every time I have changed the recipe a bit and this time I have changed it to make the cupcakes super delicious and chocolaty. You know in Finland we are used to say that the third time tells the truth, and I think with these cupcakes it fits perfectly. And I just love cream cheese frostings, so I thought that this time I'll make one. And I have to admit that I tasted the frosting and it was superior good! And the dough also...Tomorrow I'll have a proper taste. But these cupcakes came out quite pretty, don't you think?
Ingredients:
114 g Bittersweet dark Chocolate broken into small pieces
240 ml all-purpose flour
60 ml unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
120 ml milk
60 ml cup water
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (olive or rape oil)
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting:
110 g Bittersweet dark Chocolate, broken into small pieces
75 g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
320 ml powdered sugar
Directions:
For the cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Paper-line 22 (small, 14 big) muffin cups.
2. Melt the chocolate in a metal dish attached to a pot with boiling water. Stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
3. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Combine milk and water in small glass measure. Beat brown sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl on high for 2 minutes. Beat in melted chocolate. Beat flour mixture into creamed mixture alternately with milk mixture.
4. Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.
5. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.Don't over bake them, it's better if they're a bit soft. Cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.
For the cream cheese frosting:
1. Melt the chocolate the same way as before, stirring just until melted. Cool to room temperature.
2. Melt the butter in microwave, until it's liquid like. Mix the powdered sugar and vanilla extract with the cream cheese, add the melted chocolate and butter. Mix well to make an even icing. It should be light and fluffy.
3. Spread the frosting over the cupcakes with a spatula.
For decoration you can grate some dark chocolate, or you can us your imagination and figure out some other decorations as coconut flakes or nonpareils...
