CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES INSPIRED BY CHOCO BALLS:

Ishita Ramanujam

INGREDIENTS:

1. Chocolate Cupcake

• 140g Plain Flour

• 185g Caster Sugar

• 1/2tsp Bicarbonate Soda

• 1/4tsp Salt

• 30g Cocoa Powder

• 35g Chocolate Chips

• 2 Eggs

• 125ml Cold Coffee

• 125ml Buttermilk

• 105ml Vegetable Oil

For the ICING:

1. Chocolate Buttercream

• 200g Soft Unsalted Butter

• 320g Icing Sugar

• 3tbsp Whole Milk

• 95g Chocolate (70% cocoa is best)

OR

1. Oreo Buttercream

• 3 packets of Oreo

• 200g Butter

• 420 g Icing Sugar/caster sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C.

2. Add coffee (which has been brewed and then cooled)* to the bowl.

3. Add the buttermilk*, eggs and vegetable oil to the above mixture.

4. Stir with all these wet ingredients with a whisk.

5. Pass all the dry ingredients through a sieve and add to the above wet ingredient mixture.

6. Add the choco chips in the end.

7. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners/cases and fill the cupcake moulds 3/4th of the way.

8. Bake it in the oven for 20 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back (or a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean).

For the Icing:

A. Chocolate Buttercream:

1. Melt the chocolate and then let it cool down.

2. Add the softened butter to a bowl. An electric whisk is preferable to whisk up the butter. If not, use a regular whisk and whisk until the butter reaches white soft peaks.

3. Add the icing sugar in two parts whisking well after each addition. (Pass it through a sieve each time to reduce the lumps)

4. Add your choice of milk to loosen the mixture up.

5. Add your melted chocolate and whisk again at the lowest speed until well combined.

OR

B. OREO BUTTERCREAM

An electric mixer is a must for this buttercream recipe

1. Remove the Oreo cream from the Oreo and crush only the biscuits in the mixer. It should be in powder form.

2. Add the butter to a bowl and whisk for 2-4 mins with an electric whisk till the butter turns whitish.

3. Sift the icing sugar. Add it in three parts to the creamed butter, whisking well after each addition.

4. Once butter and icing sugar are well combined and whisked - add the Oreo bit by bit. Start by adding a little and then increasing the quantity. Don’t add too many Oreo crumbs because the mixture may become too stiff.

DECORATING:

Finally, the best part!

Whichever icing you choose, remember to let the cupcakes cool after removing them from the tray for at least 1.5 hours before you start piping the buttercream.

Just fill the icing in a piping bag or simply use a spoon and a butter knife to frost the cupcakes.

You could sprinkle Oreo crumbs, gems, or any topping of your choice!

And they're ready to be devoured!!

*NOTE:

- Coffee: you won’t actually be able to taste the coffee, it's just to enhance the flavour of the cupcake. You can always substitute it with water.

- Homemade buttermilk recipe: https://youtu.be/mSh4NSQdP58