Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Icing

After a fairly busy week it was nice to spend time in the kitchen relaxing and making these cupcakes. The decorating was done by the kidlets as I took a more hands off approach... well I did manage to decorate 1 cupcake. I did the prep and clean up while they just got on with the creative bit. Bloodied candy eyeballs were the focal point and a dollop of mystical purple buttercream icing to aid a spooky feeling. It was good to get a head start on some Halloween fun. The chocolate cupcake itself is spongy and dense. While the buttercream icing is fluffy. Both recipes are simple and can be whipped up very easily. How you decorate them depends on your mood and who is helping.  

Chocolate Cupcakes

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1/2 cup good quality cocoa powder

1 cup hot water

1 2/3 cups of cake and pastry flour

1 1/2 cups coconut sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup applesauce

2 eggs

Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF and line a muffin tin with cupcake papers (paper baking cups).

In a medium bowl mix the cocoa powder and water together. Blend until smooth. Then set aside to cool a bit.

In a large bowl blend the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the applesauce and the cooled cocoa mixture. With a handheld mixer on medium speed beat for about 2 minutes; all the while scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl constantly. 

Add the eggs and beat for another 2 minutes; again, scraping the sides and the bottom of the bowl. The batter is quite runny so not to worry.  

Pour into the baking cups... about 1/2 full and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. When done remove from oven and muffin tin and let cool on a wire rack. When completely cool decorate as desired.

Notes: Ovens and temperatures vary, the cupcakes that I made baked for 15 minutes.

Buttercream Icing 

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1 cup of butter, softened

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

4 cups of icing (confectioners') sugar

3 tablespoons of milk

food colouring of your choice, optional

In a large bowl beat the butter and vanilla together. Blend in the icing sugar 2 cups at a time. Beating very well after both additions. Beat in the milk and continue to mix until light and fluffy. Then add the food colouring of choice; adding small amounts at a time until the desired colour is achieved and blend together with a stain proof spoon. 

Notes: to make a chocolate buttercream icing add 3/4 cup of cocoa powder and about 1 to 2 more tablespoons of milk. The food colouring I used had more of a thick, paste like consistency and came in a pot; I found I prefer this texture of food colouring as there are more colour options and it doesn't interrupt the consistency of the recipe to which you are adding it to. 

For effect, a glacé cherry was sliced down the middle, but not all the way through, to fan or open the cherry up and then a candied eyeball was placed on top. 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. - JD