A really strange thing happened to me this week. If you know me well, you will know how totally out of character this is for me.
I wanted chocolate cake.
Well, 'wanted' seems like a mild word for what I felt. I longed for chocolate cake. So weird! Can you believe it?
Most of my cravings revolve around citrus or spice. Very, very, VERY rarely do I actually crave chocolate cake. Okay I'll stop now before you totally write me off as a lunatic.
In order to satisfy that craving, I made these.
Aren't they pretty?
Look at this one standing high & proud on his high chocolate tower! :)
The cupcake recipe isn't a new one. I have shared it with you before in my Rocky Road Cupcakes post. It is Alton Brown's Chocolate cake recipe that I made into cupcakes. It is a dense, moist cupcake. This time around I made it extra moist by under-baking it a little and it was really delicious!
The frosting is a whipped ganache - which is the easiest thing to make, and SO yummy! And it goes without saying - the better the quality of the chocolate you use, the better your frosting will taste.
Whipped Ganache Frosting
Ingredients
8oz (227g) dark/bittersweet chocolate
8oz (227g) heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
Method
1. Chop up the chocolate and place in a large bowl.
2. In a saucepan, heat the cream until it just begins to simmer. Be careful not to let it boil or it will split.
3. Pour the hot cream over the melted chocolate. Allow this to sit for about 2 minutes.
4. Whisk until smooth, and add in the vanilla. Whisk until dissolved. Set aside to 'set' for about an hour or two. I put it into the fridge for about 15 minutes before I whipped it.
5. Beat using an electric mixer for 4-5 minutes until you achieve a piping consistency.
This frosting is absolutely delicious and very versatile. I used the same recipe with milk chocolate for some cupcakes I baked this week for a friend, and it tasted great!
I must report that with the craving completely satisfied, the strange chocolate phase has passed. Right after I hit 'Publish', I am headed to the kitchen to make a batch of lime curd to have with breakfast.
Now that feels normal!
In other news, next weekend I am teaching an 'Introduction to Baking' class in partnership with Chennai Food Guide and Crimson Chakra. Registrations have closed for this batch, and I am really looking forward to meeting all the participants who have registered! Before you come I must say: a word to the wise - baking is addictive!!! And I cannot wait to pass the baking bug on to you! I'll see you all at Crimson Chakra on the 24th of March.
Also - a BIG thank you to the lovely Pratiksha from Honeyed Pandemonium for the Leibster award! I really appreciate it :) Hugs to you!
Have a wonderful weekend and I will see you all on the other side! :)
I wanted chocolate cake.
Well, 'wanted' seems like a mild word for what I felt. I longed for chocolate cake. So weird! Can you believe it?
Most of my cravings revolve around citrus or spice. Very, very, VERY rarely do I actually crave chocolate cake. Okay I'll stop now before you totally write me off as a lunatic.
In order to satisfy that craving, I made these.
Look at this one standing high & proud on his high chocolate tower! :)
The frosting is a whipped ganache - which is the easiest thing to make, and SO yummy! And it goes without saying - the better the quality of the chocolate you use, the better your frosting will taste.
Whipped Ganache Frosting
Ingredients
8oz (227g) dark/bittersweet chocolate
8oz (227g) heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
Method
1. Chop up the chocolate and place in a large bowl.
2. In a saucepan, heat the cream until it just begins to simmer. Be careful not to let it boil or it will split.
3. Pour the hot cream over the melted chocolate. Allow this to sit for about 2 minutes.
4. Whisk until smooth, and add in the vanilla. Whisk until dissolved. Set aside to 'set' for about an hour or two. I put it into the fridge for about 15 minutes before I whipped it.
5. Beat using an electric mixer for 4-5 minutes until you achieve a piping consistency.
I must report that with the craving completely satisfied, the strange chocolate phase has passed. Right after I hit 'Publish', I am headed to the kitchen to make a batch of lime curd to have with breakfast.
Now that feels normal!
In other news, next weekend I am teaching an 'Introduction to Baking' class in partnership with Chennai Food Guide and Crimson Chakra. Registrations have closed for this batch, and I am really looking forward to meeting all the participants who have registered! Before you come I must say: a word to the wise - baking is addictive!!! And I cannot wait to pass the baking bug on to you! I'll see you all at Crimson Chakra on the 24th of March.
Also - a BIG thank you to the lovely Pratiksha from Honeyed Pandemonium for the Leibster award! I really appreciate it :) Hugs to you!
78 comments:
Ok - after looking at your amazing photos - guess what - now I'm LONGING for chocolate cake! good think your recipe is so fabulous!
Mary x
My family would love me to make these every.single.week! Your cupcakes are seriously magnificent!
PINNING!!!! These look great and I want one send to me via fedex packed in dry ice! LOL...
Lovin' the cupcake liners...xo Jackie
Beautiful!!!
Oh my God....These cupcake look divine!!!
These are perfect looking cupcakes and that whipped ganache frosting sounds divine!
Seriously gorgeous shots! And I love that you put vanilla in your ganache. I need to try that sometime.
Perfect execution, you had a craving so you made cupcakes :) They look wonderful and now it's lime time!!
Take care..
They are just not pretty .. they are absolutely gorgeous! Love the shine in the frosting and so neatly done!
see what happens when u crave for chocolate? u come up with some amazing beauties! I think so u should crave it more often and I ll share the crave with your recipes and pictures. ;)
I get it! Sometime a girl wants what a girl wants. These are some wicked delish cupcakes though! And gosh I adore Alton Brown so very cool how you tweaked his recipe to make it better. You are a girl after my own heart with the chocolate ganache frosting....none of that sugar-butter stuff for me - thank you very much! :))
Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
Wow, do these look amazing! I always have chocolate cravings and love ganache icing, you have done a wonderful job - love your cupcake papers, did you use double or how did you get them to not look greasy!
Intro to baking?! You must be kidding! You bake the prettiest cakes and look at that ganache ... ooze into my mouth pleez! Chocolate's always good with me as long as it's bitter choc ... YUM!
Chocolate...mmmmmmm....Chocolate. Sorry, I have tunnel vision when it comes to chocolate!
These look insane! Anytime you crave chocolate, just let me know, I will be right over to help!
:) Thank you so much, Mary! I hope you get your chocolate fix! :)
If my husband had his way, he would want these every night! Thanks for your kind words, Lizzy! Means a lot coming from you!
Thank you, Jackie! They are pretty, aren't they? Would love to send you some but the courier place says they don't deliver cupcakes across the ocean! :( Hugs
Thank you so much, Reem! I really appreciate it :)
Thanks, Mary! I really appreciate it!
It's something I have always done! I thought it was the done thing.. LOL :D I hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by!
Yeah!! And a fine time it was... the lime curd turned out great :) Thanks so much, Gerry!
Aw thank you so much, Kankana! That really makes my day! Appreciate it... Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for stopping by, Helene... I can't wait to visit you at your lovely blog! :) Thanks for your kind words...
Haha... chocolate cravings are rare for me! Personally, I love the 'sugar-butter' stuff lol :) I LOVE Alton Brown too.. He is so awesome... Thanks for your kind words, Devaki!
Thank you, Chris! I appreciate the kind words! The liners I use have a foil/plasticky coating on the inside... so the colors stay vivid... Thanks for stopping by!
LOL :D I changed the wording in my post... I am not TAKING the class, I am TEACHING it... LOL :) I prefer bitter chocolate too! Thanks for stopping by, Ping!
Thank you Erin! I almost named them Intense chocolate cupcakes because the insides were so moist and it was sooooo chocolatey because I intentionally underbaked the cupcakes.... Wish I could send you some! Thanks for stopping by!
Wow...I am so in love with your cupcakes!:)) Your photos are truly mouthwatering dear!!! Have a wonderful weekend!
Very chocolately cupcakes Marsha! I really, really wanted to attend your baking lesson!!! (I'm still saying. hehee).
your blog always leaves me craving something! now it's chocolate. I have been silently reading your blog for a while now and I love it! Beautiful, real food that's obviously made with love and care. Your photographs are very pretty too. I'm a big fan!!! Do you have a cookbook coming out anytime?
These are close to perfection. They sound wonderful and they look delicious. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary
Marsha, I am convinced that your whipped ganache frosting is the BEST I can imagine to use for piping on cupcakes, next to the white chocolate whipped frosting, which is done with the same method. Congratulations on your teaching course, so nice of you to share your knowledge:DDD
Hugs,
OMG, Marsha, those are some seriously gorgeous chocolate cupcakes. The photos are spectacular! That said, they never said anything about my giveaway being available to people only in the US or Canada, so there ;)
soooooooo beautiful; aah u r in chennai is it for the bake session; would have loved to meet u; hopefully next time !
These are just gorgeous! I am a big chocolate fan, so I will be craving these daily :)
Beautiful shots and congratulations on the well deserved award!
Hugs
Thank you, Sandra! I appreciate it... Have a wonderful weekend too!
LOL, Nami :) Come on over :) And thanks for stopping by!
Awww... that's the nicest comment I've received in a while! Cookbook? Me? Wow... I wish! Thanks for your kind comment and I wish you wouldn't be silent any more! :) Thanks for stopping by, Kimmie!
Thanks, Mary! They were delicious :) Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful Sunday!
Thanks, Elisabeth! I love white chocolate ganache too! :) I love teaching and this is something that I am looking forward too! Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you, Lisa! :) I appreciate it! :) And thanks again - I guess I've entered the giveaway by leaving a comment :)
Thanks, Priya! :) I live in Chennai!! Would be great to meet up :) Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks, Alisha... chocolate cravings are rare for me, but when they hit, they hit hard! :) LOL :D Thanks for stopping by!
Wow, these look fantastic! I crave chocolate A LOT and these look like they would be perfect!
these look great!
WOW! I am in love! That ganache frosting is by far my favorite! I will be making these soon. Pinning them now!
Ooooooooh.... Yum yum yum! I love this recipe. Thank you so much!
Perfect chocolate fix! I'm putting this on my must bake list.
Marsha, I'm sooooo glad you had a chocolate craving! I misplaced my favorite chocolate ganche frosting recipe and yours magically appeared in my "in box" the day I was going to make it! (Gotta love that e-mail subscription service!)
These little beauties look DIVINE and your ganache was "el perfecto" on the cake I made, too. Thanks!
Marsha, now you've got me craving these amazing chocolate cupcakes! Swirly, whirly gorgeous. They are so perfect but I want to be naughty and dip my finger in to taste. Too tempting for words!
Those cupcakes look excellent! Now, you are making me crave for chocolate. I must say your piping skills are great too! :)
Oh these look so good!
I love how the ganash frosting looks...so tempting
Oh yes, they are so pretty! And I totally wish that I don't have craving for chocolate - then I'd be two sizes down! =P
Hi Marsha,
I'll forgive that you don't crave chocolate cake since these beauties look incredible:) I'm a chocoholic and though it isn't always chocolate cake I crave, chocolate always makes me happy. Thanks for sharing and congrats on your award.
Your cupcakes are pretty! :-) Congrats on your award!
Thanks for stopping by! I am glad you like these :)
Thanks so much, Amanda! Hugs
I am so glad you like them... I hope you'll let me know how they turn out :) Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you, Viji! So glad you like them :) Thanks for stopping by!
Yes - chocolate fix is a good name for these :) I should rename these cupcakes :) Thanks for stopping by!
I am so glad I did too... I just saw your cake and it is a thing of beauty! Looks absolutely delicious & inviting... Thanks for stopping by and letting me know how it turned out! :) Hugs to you, Kimby!
LOL :) I think chocolate frosting has that effect on people - you just want to dip your finger in! I am so glad you like these :) Hugs! Thanks for stopping by!
Awww thanks, Biren! I am just learning slowly and I hope I am getting better! Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks so much, Saswan! I am so glad you like it :) Thanks for stopping by!
LOL :) I don't crave chocolate often and I still need to go down quite a few sizes! Must be my other cravings - butter & sugar being at the top of that list! :) Thanks for stopping by, Nami!
LOL :D Thanks, Nancy! :) I guess though I don't crave chocolate, it does make me happy too! Thanks for stopping by :)
Thank you so much for your comment and for stopping by, Christine!
I want to bite into one right now! So chocolatey and beautiful. I really want to try these out when I can have chocolate again. Hope you had a great weekend!
I should not be allowed near ganache. I can eat it by the spoonfu :-)l. That being said, you cupcakes look fabulous and the icing takes them over the top. These sound very very good. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary
Congrats on the award :D
And on the fact that you are queen of cupcakes, empress of muffins!
These look stunning :)
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself
Congrats on the award :D
And on the fact that you are queen of cupcakes, empress of muffins!
These look stunning :)
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself
Your cupcake paper is so pretty!! where did you get them?
Hi marsha, I totally enjoyed the eggless baking workshop at Crimson chakra. This recipe was totally loved by all at home, esp with my using the left over chocolate syrup for moistening the cup cake before applying the frosting. Can you do a workshop for cake decoration? would love it.
can u pls tell me where i can pick up heavy cream from?
Any grocery store
this frosting looks wonderful! can you please let me know how many cupcakes it can frost? thank you :)
hi! Can you substitute all purpose cream with heavy cream
I'm sorry , but I don't understand your question. The recipe calls for heavy cream.
Thanks, Allie!
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