Saturday 4 February 2012

Chocolate and Cheesecake Cupcakes!

When I first got my Hummingbird cookbook these 'black bottomed' cupcakes caught my eye, but for some reason I've put off baking them in favour of simpler cupcakes I knew would probably turn out well and that my whole family would like! However, last week my curiosity got the better of me and I decided it was about time I tried them out- I didn't quite manage it until last night, but they were well worth the wait- they really are yummy! :)

There quite unusual really, the cupcake part is a dark chocolate flavour made with oil instead of eggs, which gives it less of the creamy texture I expect in a cupcake- on it's own this cake would be quite boring and perhaps dry, but it combines really well with the vanilla cheesecake topping (which also isn't particularly sweet) - and is topped perfectly with cream cheese frosting, giving it the creamy sweet edge I always crave! These cupcakes would be really good for those who don't like really sweet things- with just a thin layer of frosting they are sweet but not in any way cloying like many other recipes can be. Plus, this recipe is way simpler than I thought- definitely suitable for beginners :)


For the Chocolate Cupcakes:

 You will need

190g plain flour
120g caster sugar
40g cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
40ml sunflower oil
1 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar
(I only had white wine vinegar and it worked fine!)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
125ml water

 
1) Place the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda) into a bowl- I forgot to sieve them, but it would probably be a good idea!- and whisk a little on a slow speed to mix them all together.




2) Place the wet ingredients (oil, vinegar and vanilla extract and water) into a jug and mix with a fork to combine (this is fun as the oil and water makes bubbles and funny patterns... I'm easily amused!)




3) While whisking on a slowish speed, gradually pour the liquid into the flour mixture, once all the liquid is combined, whisk on high for a minute or two.

At this point I had a major panic because the mixture is so thick- it's more like play-doh than normal cake mixture! I re-read the recipe and ingredients about three times before I decided that I'd done everything right and the mixture should be like that!




4) Spoon the mixture into cases (I used cupcake cases, but I think larger muffin cases would work much better!)




For the Cheesecake:




You will need

140g cream cheese
60g caster sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
100g milk chocolate chips







1) Place the cream cheese, sugar, egg, vanilla extract and salt into a bowl and whisk on a high speed until smooth and fluffy- careful not to over mix though, it can get runny! Then add the chocolate chips and stir in by hand.





2) Spoon the cheesecake mixture into the cases (there's enough for about 1 1/2 tablespoons of mixture in each)



 
3) Bake at 170C (325F, gas mark 3) for around 20 minutes- until the chocolate cupcake is cooked through and the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden (be careful not to over bake, the cheesecake will crack and crumble)




4) Leave them too cool completely, then top with a batch of cream cheese frosting (find the recipe here)

Yum!






As always I hope you'll let me know if you try it out- let me know how it goes!  I hope you like ths recipe :)



                                                                                                         xGretalRabbitx

4 comments:

  1. They look really good. I tried this recipe when I first got that book but I messed up the cheesecake part, should really try it again sometime.

    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are! Oh no, what happened to them? :( They're well worth another try- very yummy (and unique) cupcakes :)
      xGretalRabbitx

      Delete
  2. Mmmmmm, what a lethal combination!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed- lethal and delicious! :)
      xGretalRabbitx

      Delete

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