I know! 3 months since my last post. I haven't been very active in the kitchen, I've been to sick. Its been a very boring couple of months. Anyhow, I made these beauties for a group of friends and everyone fell in love! Including myself ^^ So the cupcake recipe is the same as I used for the ice cream cake. It's already become my favorite cake recipe, it's so moist and it tastes heavenly. I'll re-post the cake recipe, I made it the same way minus the peppermint extract and added almond extract. Why? well I added the extract to the buttercream and I think if the cake had it, it may have been over kill. And I know I mentioned this before, but I LOVE almonds and their taste.
So here it is, let me know if you tried it and any variations you might have :)
Cake Ingredients
• 3/4 cup hot brewed coffee• 1 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup regular cocoa powder (not Dutch pressed)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
Yields (at minimum) 24 cupcakes
original recipe courtesy of Anna Olsen
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and add paper liners to your muffin/cupcake pan. Pour freshly brewed coffee over chocolate and gently stir to melt. Set aside.2. Sift sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 1 minute.
3. While beating, slowly add oil, buttermilk and extracts. Alternate adding flour mixture and chocolate mixture and beat until combined.
4. Pour batter into prepared paper liners (half way mark for each), bake for 25 min or until a tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then remove to cool completely.
I found this recipe online (can't remember where) But I've been using this forever! And everyone loves it. This isn't the original, I've made my own tweaks over the years. Enjoy!
Candy Cane Crackle buttercream icing
Ingredients• 16 tablespoons butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
• ½ cup peppermint candy (about 8 large peppermint sticks), finely crushed
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 4 to 6 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Yields (at minimum) enough for 24 cupcakes
Directions
1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the peppermint candy, confectioners' sugar, 4 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon peppermint extract.
2. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is well incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, 1 minute more. Blend up to 1 tablespoon milk or peppermint extract if the frosting seems to stiff.
To finish it all off, I microwaved and drizzled an ounce of the semi-sweet chocolate on top of the buttercream. It's of course optional, but it gives it that extra pretty look and taste :)
