Monday 6 September 2010

Chocolate Cupcakes



Finally a recipe that is not from the hummingbird bakery cookbook but from another favourite, 'Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery'.  I have not made cupcakes for a long time and decided on these chocolate ones. They are certainly worth the effort of making it and the icing is to die for! It had to be chocolate icing on chocolate cake for me :) I only made 1/2 the recipe which yielded 9 cupcakes and managed to eat most of them myself! 

chocolate mixture 

egg whites

ready to go in the oven 

fresh from the oven 

I tried 2 different piping techniques 


ran out of gold stars! 

Makes 18 cupcakes
115g good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) 
85g unsalted butter, at room temperature
175g soft brown sugar
2 large eggs, free range or organic, separated
185g plain flour, sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
250ml semi-skimmed milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract

Chocolate buttercream icing 
175g good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) 
225g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon semi-skimmed milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
250g icing sugar, sifted 

For the cupcakes
  • Preheat the oven to 170C.
  • Break the chocolate into pieces and melt (In a microwave or in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water).
  • Stir occasionally until it has completely melted and is quite smooth. Leave to cool slightly. 
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and smooth, which should take 3-5 minutes using an electric hand mixer. 
  • In a separate bowl  and with clean beaters, beat the egg yolks for several minutes. 
  • Slowly add the egg yolks to the creamed mixture and beat well. 
  • Next, add the melted chocolate to the mixture and beat well. 
  • Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a separate bowl. 
  • Put the milk in a jug and add the vanilla extract to it.
  • Add one-third of the flour to the chocolate mixture and beat well. 
  • Pour in one-third of the milk and beat again.
  • Repeat these steps until all the flour and milk have been added. 
  • In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks start to form. 
  • Carefully add the egg whites into the batter, using a metal spoon. 
  • Do not beat or you will take all the air out of the mixture. 
  • Carefully spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling them to about two-thirds full.
  • This is a fairly liquid batter, so take care when spooning out.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. 
  • Remove from the oven and leave the cakes in their tins for about 10 minutes before carefully placing on a wire rack to cool.
  • Once they are completely cool, ice the cupcakes with buttercream icing.


For the icing
  • Melt the chocolate until smooth (In a microwave or in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water).
  • Leave to cool slightly. 
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, milk, vanilla and icing sugar until smooth - this can take several minutes with an electric hand mixer. 
  • Add the melted chocolate and beat again until thick and creamy. 
  • If it looks too runny to use when trying to ice cupcakes or cakes, simply keep beating - this will thicken the icing and improve its consistency. 








14 comments:

  1. It's really ciute with the gold stars! :)

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  2. I totally love these primrose chocolate cupcakes too...especially the icing! it is now my go to chocolate icing recipe for sure! I like the addition of the gold stars too...I've seen lots of 'rose style' frosting around these days and while it does look pretty I still think I prefer pile up the highest whip you can! haha

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  3. O my, those are so adorable! Especially the tiny golden stars. And sound really delicious.

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  4. Your piping skills are really great! I wish I could do that. And those little stars are my favourite :)

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  5. we were clearly all in a chocolate baking mood this week! Your cupcakes look great

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  6. I made these for my bf for valentines day...they are really really good. A bit of a faff to make but defintely worth it! Love the gold stars on yours..so cute!

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  7. The Primrose Bakery recipe book is awesome. I much prefer it to the hummingbird bakery

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  8. Wow - those cupcake look delicious! Love the decor with the little gold stars - too cute:) I just signed up to follow your fabulous blog - stop by and visit me sometime at www.stephaniesavorsthemoment.com. Looking forward to your next delicious post - Cheers!

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  9. Oh, they look wonderful, very professional. You've gotten really good at piping. Love the pretty little stars too.
    *kisses* HH

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  10. The Primrose chocolate frosting is my favourite chocolate frosting for sure. These look lovely - love the decoration

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  11. looks like someone got herself icing tools!! Keep up with the baking babes, I haven't got an oven so I'm going into the world of steaming...

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  12. I'm looking for a good chocolate icing. This one looks really good! or is it the gold stars that sold me ;) love the blog, lots of cakes!!

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