Rich Chocolate Cupcakes

Following on from the delicious Hummingbird Bakery Red Velvet Cupcakes on Thursday, (which went down a treat by the way!) today I'm going to move on to the delicious Hummingbird Chocolate Cupcakes featured on page 17 of the book. These cupcakes are a little more straight forward than the Red Velvet. Depending on the level of your chocolate addiction you can opt for chocolate icing or vanilla icing. On this occasion I chose Vanilla icing for those who like chocolate in moderation! The recipe below is as seen in the book. Just to note though I tweaked things myself a little when making the cupcakes.  I used regular sugar not caster, I use self-raising flour instead of the suggested plain flour + baking powder and I used regular salted butter. These cupcakes went down a treat in work yesterday. They are moist and light unlike some chocolate cupcakes that can be very heavy.  

Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes: 12
Cooking Time: 20-25 Minutes

Ingredients:
100g plain flour
20g cocoa powder
140g caster sugar
1.5 teaspoons of baking powder
Pinch of salt
40g of unsalted butter (at room temperature)
120ml whole milk
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
2. Put the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter in a stand mixer fitted with      
    paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric mixer) and beat on slow speed until you get a 
    sandy consistency and everything is combined. 
3. Whisk the milk, egg, and vanilla together in a pitcher (I used a bowl), then slowly pour about 
    half into the flour mixture, beat to combine, and turn the mixture up to high speed to get rid of 
    any lumps. 
4. Turn the mixture down to a slower speed and slowly pour in the remaining milk mixture 
    (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Continue 
    mixing for a couple more minutes until the batter is smooth but do not overmix. 
5. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven 
    for 20-25 minutes, or until the cake bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted into the 
    center should come out clean. Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan before turning out 
    onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
6. When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the chocolate, vanilla, or cream cheese frosting on top 
    and decorate with  sprinkles.

For the vanilla frosting:
250g icing sugar, sifted
80g unsalted butter, at room temperature
25ml whole milk
a couple of drops of vanilla extract

Method:
Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a free-standing electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.
Turn the mixer down to slow speed. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture a couple of tablespoons at a time. Once all the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed.
Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

E-D's Notes:
Hummingbird recommend chocolate vermicelli or edible silver balls to decorate. That said I found these really pretty edible white pearls in Sainsbury's. I picked up the brown cupcake cases in ASDA. When I'm away in the UK or in Belfast I always make sure to make a trip to the supermarket to have a look in the baking section. You will always find something different than is available in Ireland and generally will get better value.

This recipe is taken from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook by Tarek Malouf and The Hummingbird Bakers