My baby has been affectionately nicknamed “cupcake” since before she had a real name. To welcome her to the family my sister and aunt collaborated to create a truly inspired garden party featuring these cupcakes by my best friend from high school Kris Baker. They were the best cupcakes I’ve ever eaten!
Together they masterfully incorporated chic prizes and sophisticated festivities to creating the perfect atmosphere of whimsy and elegance. The merriment would begin by delecting the gorgeous cupcakes. Sweet tooth satisfied each table created their own cupcake themed decorations out of bows and bibs and baby washcloths and everyone was rewarded a prize. A strike of genius guided my aunt to alternate opening the gifts and giving out door prizes for maximum interaction and amusement. The shining moment was at the end when guests were invited to share parenting advice and stories of what not to do. My friends and family really opened up with some heartfelt moments mixed with hilarity and each guest that shared advice got to go home with a table centerpiece.
Moka Dark Chocolate Cupcakes With Raspberry Meringue Buttercream, but to me they’ll forever be called…
Cami Cupcakes
makes 2 dozen
INGREDIENTS
For the Cupcakes:
1-1/2 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups (300 g) white sugar
1/2 cup (60 g) dark cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons (7 g) baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons (7 g) baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons (7 g) cornstarch
1 teaspoon (8 g) salt
2/3 cup (160 ml) buttermilk
1/2 cup (120 mL) brewed coffee or espresso, hot
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (95 ml) vegetable oil (I’m using coconut oil these days)
2 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon (15 mL) pure vanilla extract
For the Raspberry Meringue Buttercream:
5 large, fresh egg whites (150 g)
1-1/4 cups (250 g) sugar
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks, 340 g) butter, cut into cubes and cool, but not cold
2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
a handful (about 1 cup, 150g) of fresh, washed, and dried raspberries
pinch of salt
For the Glaze:
4 oz (115 g) high quality bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped or callets
1/3 cup (76 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350° F (180°C) and line a cupcake pan with your favorite cupcake liners.
In the bowl of electric mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment if you have one), sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch and salt.
In a medium bowl or measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, coffee, oil, egg and vanilla.
Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Splash warning! (You may need the plastic splashguard if your mixer comes with one.) Divide batter among liners; they’ll only be about 1/2 full. Batter will be very thin and runny, and cupcakes will rise.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until toothpick or skewer comes out with a few crumbs. Try not to over-bake; the ones I left in until they looked dry on top, tasted awful. They are meant to be served gooey, that’s when their delicate flavor is the most powerful. Carefully remove cupcakes from the pan immediately (it’s hot!), and place them on a wire rack until completely cool.
For the Raspberry Meringue Buttercream:
Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer with paper towel and lemon juice, to remove any trace of grease. Add egg whites and sugar, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), hand whisking constantly but gently, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot. I rubbed the translucent mixture between my fingers to see if there were any sugar crystals that were not dissolved. Feel free to use a candy thermometer if you have one bringing the temperature up to 160°F (70°C). You can transfer the mixing bowl from the bain-mairie to a cool countertop, or your mixing stand.
With whisk attachment of mixer, begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl feels room temperature to the touch 10 minutes. *Don’t begin adding butter until the bottom of the bowl is no warmer than your palm so that the butter does not melt. It is very important that all ingredients be at room temperature at this point.
For this entire recipe I used a hand mixer on low speed. If you have a paddle attachment for your mixer this is the moment to release it’s magic. Add the butter cubes, one at a time, until incorporated into the meringue, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture. Add vanilla and salt, continuing to beat on low speed until well combined.
Keep whipping even if it looks ‘curdled’ that’s all part of the process, just keep whipping, just keep whipping. And suddenly it will pull-together and become this new amazing thing that is fluffy and silky smooth.
Add the fresh raspberries in small increments, and blend until combined.
*If it curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth.
**If mixture is too runny, refrigerate for about 15 minutes and continue mixing with paddle attachment until it comes together.
***If the bowl feels cooler than your palm then bring the temperature back up over a hot water bath. Apparently I like my kitchen cooler than a typical room temperature. Merci TheKitchn.com for saving my broken buttercream!
For the Glaze:
Place the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir the mixture using a rubber spatula until melted and smooth. *Be careful to not get even a droplet of water into your bowl of chocolate and butter.
Assembly of the Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Cupcakes:
The tip Kris used was a Wilton 1M; it is a large open star decorating tip. Fill a large pastry bag about 2/3 full and swirl the buttercream in a circular motion, beginning on the outside rim of the cupcake and moving inward. Gently release pressure when you reach the top of your swirl.
Drizzle the top of the cupcake with Dark Chocolate Glaze.
Top with chocolate sprinkles and a fresh raspberry.
Cupcakes are best enjoyed the day they are made, but these keep particularly well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They will store longer in the refrigerator, but always serve at room temperature, because this frosting hardens like butter when chilled. 😉