Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song
And I want to walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high
So won't you try to come?
- Norah Jones
I loved this song when I was young..I still hum it as I go about my day( yes, I have a tendency for humming for no reason at all, bonkers, aint I? ;) I hum this when I am in my garden..and yup.. I sing it when I am cooking too!And with the dessert I just made, it really did take me away to a "field where the yellow grass grows knee high"...on a cloudy day....and I am sitting hand in hand (ahem!) with DaddyLongLegs and digging into this delicious delicious petite lil thing...
Wondering whats this dreamy thing I made that made me hum and sing and dance and jig..all at once!!?
I did it.
I finally did.
I baked my first ever cupcakes...and my first ever frosting...perfectly!!
I,your darling S, hereby declare myself as a firm believer of "Beginner's Luck".
Jokes aside, these cupcakes were simply perfect!
They were moist and delicious, a little gooey (Just how I like them) and chocolatey..
The frosting was the stuff chocolates and buttery dreams are made of...creamy, fluff like a cotton cloud..and Oh so decadent!
And nope there no such thing as too much chocolate..at least not in my books !
And if such a travesty does exist in your world, I suggest you stay a thousand miles away from this particularly sinful post...coz I am all set to take you to a parallel universe where time freezes..and the only two things existing are you and this delight of a cupcake!!
I don't cook on Sundays. I simply take a break from all the cooking...and relax. But today I found myself trying my hands at this much oohed and aahed over recipe by http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/03/14/chocolate-cupcakes-with-creamy-nutella-frosting/.
This gal, Sally is simply amazing!! There is no other word to describe the goodness that she comes up with.. and though I did change the recipe to my taste, its basically taken from her wonderful beautiful blog; she in turn had sourced it from the JoyofBaking...Now don't we all love that one !!?? :)
This is how she describes it "you’re getting chocolate on top of chocolate. Sorry, but I’m not sorry."
Well Sally, my dear.. neither am I.
Its a totally decadent,rich,moist, creamy, fluffy chocolate frosting that simply takes you into a chocolate stupor...Yes, I did need something to cut back on it, so I added my old and trusted aide of mint essence, and
Please make these at the earliest..
They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but with THIS, you will find yourself lodged permanently on a high pedestal in his heart..
Live a little ...Live Dangerously...
Take a Guilty Sinful Trip to the wonder land of Chocolatey Heaven....
Come Away With Me.....
PS: I am taking that frosting with the cupcake as a side!! ;)
Ingredients:
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup (240ml) water
- 1/2 cup (42g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 and 1/3 cups (167g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
My twist, sprinkle few choco chips on top of the cup cakes and adding a little orange zest to the dough.Just about 1 1/2 tsp.
Creamy Nutella Frosting
- 1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240g) confectioners' sugar
- 3/4 cup (222g) Nutella
- 2 heaped tbsp Unsweetened cocoa powder.
- 3-4 Tablespoons (45-60ml) heavy cream*
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
- salt to taste
- Garnish
- Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Line 14 muffin cups with liners.
- Over high heat, bowl the water in a small saucepan. Pour the unsweetened cocoa powder into a medium sized bowl and mix with boiling water until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature by placing in the refrigerator as you prepare the other ingredients.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using an electric hand or stand mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat only until *just* combined. In a steady stream, add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.
- Fill each muffin tin 3/4 of the way full with batter. Bake for 16-19 minutes, keeping an eye on them to avoid even the slightest burning (which will lend dry cupcakes). My cupcakes took 17 minutes and a toothpick inserted in the middle came out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool before frosting.
- Make the frosting:
- Beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. You want a very creamy base before adding anything else.
- Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and continue to beat on medium speed. The mixture will be fairly thick.
- Add the Nutella and continue to beat on medium speed. Add 3 Tablespoons of heavy cream and the peppermint essence.
- Add 2 heaped tablesspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder(good quality plssss).
- If the frosting is too thick, add more heavy cream (1 Tablespoon measurements at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (1/4 cup measurements at a time). Taste the frosting and add salt to cut the sweetness. I added about 1/4 teaspoon of salt to mine.
- Frost cooled cupcakes with frosting and decorate with candies as desired.
- *Replacing the heavy cream in the frosting with milk or half-and-half will result in a less creamy consistency.Dark Is Good,Love,
S :)
http://thenovicegardener.wordpress.com/fiesta-friday/
