Ria's Collection: VANILLA CUPCAKES WITH GLOSSY CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

VANILLA CUPCAKES WITH GLOSSY CHOCOLATE FROSTING

IMG_1578
The first batch of cupcakes that I ever tried baking were for my brother when he was as little as 6 or something. Now he is writing his 12th std board exams! Time sure flies!  I got a recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes from 'Hindu'(an Indian Newpaper) and I promptly cut that out and stuck it on my mother's recipe book since I didn't own one then. We didn't have cupcake liners at home then, so I made the whole thing as a cake. There was a recipe for a frosting too which called for 'cooking chocolate'. Even today, it's hard to find 'cooking/baking' chocolate in Kannur, so you could have imagined the situation 12 years ago! So, we went with my favourite chocolate, Cadbury's Dairy Milk  and tried melting it in the microwave. I had no idea that the chocolate will maintain it's shape unless we stir it...sadly it was burnt in the centre.
Vanilla Cupcakes
But, I didn't give up, I scraped out the good parts and made the frosting with it. It came out really good.He loved the cake and from that day on he used to ask me to bake the same cupcakes and I always ...always postponed it. I have made him so many other stuffs, but never got to baking those chocolate cupcakes as 'cupcakes'. I will bake it for him the next time I'm home :) You will see the recipe here, very soon! :)
Vanilla Cupcakes

Those cupcakes look cute, don't they? I made these cupcakes for Jobin to take to work last week. They smelt so good while they were baking and was even more tempting after I pulled it out of the oven. I really couldn't resist clicking a picture of these cuppiecakes!
Vanilla Cupcakes

I frosted them with a simple frosting which was so glossy that I could see my reflection on it. I kept everything simple even though I wanted to do those fancy swirls with the 1M tip, but then he would have had a hard time taking it to office . Actually, I would have given him a hard time saying, 'Keep the box straight, okay? No,no! Don't press on that! Argh! You are not going to keep the swirls in place...Just give that box to me...I told you not to do that!' Blah Blah!
Vanilla Cupcake

So to prevent all that, this the best frosting I could do. You let them set for a while and then it doesn't even stick to your fingers nor leave a mark on it unless you poke your fingers into it like I did later just to see whether the glossy frosting can yield at some point,atleast! :) The recipe for these cupcakes was in my recipe diary from a very long time, even before I started blogging and I have no idea where I got it from. I am sure it's from some aunts of mine :) Whoever it is, Thank you so much! I had used the same recipe for my Craisin-Orange Squarecakes where you also get to  see a step-by-step process of how these babies are made.

IMG_1582VANILLA CUPCAKES with GLOSSY CHOCOLATE FROSTING
Recipe source for frosting- Alice Medrich (She calls it Fast Fudge Frosting)

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
2 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (omit if you are using salted butter)
1 c sugar
1/2 c unsalted butter ,room temperature
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Glossy Frosting: (I made only half the amount and I still had some left over)
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 c granulated sugar
1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 c heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Salt (omit if using salted butter)
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Method:
Cupcakes:
Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F and position the rack in the centre.
Prepare a 12- cup muffin tin by placing the cupcake liners in it.

Sift the dry ingredients together, if possible, thrice.
Cream the butter and sugar for 3 mins.Add in the eggs one by one and beat it will for 1 minute after each addition.
Next with the motor running,add the flour and milk alternately starting and ending with flour.
By now the batter should be light and fluffy.
Spoon it into the cupcake liners, about 2/3 rd's full, which will be about 2 1/2 tbsp.
Bake for 20-25 mins or till the top is lightly golden brown in colour and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the tin immediately and let it cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
In a saucepan,melt butter. Stir in the sugar and cocoa. Gradually stir in the cream.
Heat over medium heat, stirring till everything is mixed well and is smooth and hot but not boiling.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and a pinch or two of salt, to taste.
Set aside to cool. Dip the cupcake upside down in to the frosting and let the excess drip off.
Turn the cupcake and place it on a plate/rack and let the frosting set.


Verdict: Very soft buttery cupcakes! The frosting is such a charm to work with...gives you perfect shiny results every time you dip the cupcake into it! :)

38 Comments:

Cool Lassi(e) said...

Cupcakes look heavenly!

divya said...

cup cakes looks divine ...love the color n texture of the cake .. awesome clicks too..

KrithisKitchen said...

Lovely and cute cupcakes...
Absolutely gorgeous...
http://krithiskitchen.blogspot.com
Herbs & Flowers in my Platter - Coriander/Cilantro

Reshmi Mahesh said...

Wow...They make me drool...so soft and as u said the reflection can be seen on frosting...superb...Nice clicks too

My Kitchen Antics said...

the first pic looks beautiful..i love plain vanilla cupcakes any day :)

Justbeanme said...

U know one of the best things in this blog of urs is that u give the due credits!(Hindu newspaper, bloggers,mom,friends etc)I am not a blogger but i am in love with Food blogs because of ppl ( till now i only found three) like u.See there r millions of food blogs out there and one cant try all or even few but then few like urs make the readers hooked to their writings n pics n of-course the main purpose FOOD becox of the 3 Ts.Gal u r a substitution queen,i loved wht u did for ur cakes back home when u tried melting the chocolate in microwave.u didn't give up and he he scraped out the goodies and did the frosting.Lucky bro...!!!Ria Ria hmmm

Sarah said...

lovely cupcakes!

Anonymous said...

Excellent cup cakes and with the glammed up frosting, it looks delightful.

I was never a fan of the plain jane vanilla cup cake until...... I had the opportunity to sample some of the vanilla cup cakes from K.R Bakers( Cochin) I was afraid that it may be dry and overtly sweet. But it was neither. It was perfectly done. At Rs 3 per piece, it was divine. Since then I have decided that I would never underestimate the marvel of a humble vanilla cup cake.

Rookie Qookie said...

Lovely cupcakes Ria :)

Swapna said...

Lovely and beautiful cupcakes Ria!!! Will pass this recipe to my cousin I told you last week... By the way I am also planning to make cupcakes today:)

Raksha said...

Will surely try this

amna said...

the cupcakes look so chubby and perfect! and love the idea of that frosting. will try this soon.

Priya Suresh said...

Prefectly baked adorable cupcakes, love that glossy chocolate frosting..

Rinku Naveen said...

Hi Ria
The cup cakes look so yummy! Feel like making them now. But like u said...no cup cake liners and no moulds too in Kannur :(
Will surely try it some time when I get all the things.

TC
Bye
Rinku

S said...

Lovely cupcake..... I love the icing ...!!!

Priya dharshini said...

Cupcakes luks gorgeous..I never tried frosting with cocoa..Luv the mirror frosting,Lil cuties are absolutely rocking...

notyet100 said...

everything bout the cupcakes look so good,..

notyet100 said...

everything bout the cupcakes look so good,..

Sudha said...

Lovely glossy cupcakes Ria!nd they look so cuuute!Wish I could grab a bite:)

Cheers!
Wit,wok&wisdom

Neenu M N said...

wat a perfect snap...yummy yum..droolin here...

Nithya said...

Fantastic cupcakes. They all look so uniform and cute :)

The chocolate topping is the highlight :)

You are a professional baker dear :)

Ally said...

precision and perfection...its all coming thru!!

Khadija El Mary said...

Never seen such a shiny lovely chocolate frosting! I read your recipe, I do the same but my frosting doesn't look as perfect as yours! I have to re-read your recipe and try it for sure. Thanks and have a great day!

JishasKitchen said...

OMG...I loved the clicks Ria. superb!!..tempting cup cakes and I will try this soon..

Purnima said...

Ria..as I said on FB..these won't wait to b frosted! The frosting I thought was mirror frost wt silver color added to it! Its truly amazing! (In Mumbai where we stay, can't find unsalted butter, even in biggest of malls! I carried butter frm here in an airtight container last time!)I will b making these muffins! Sure simple n elegant!!

Unknown said...

These cupcakes look awesome, Ria. Can you believe I've never tried the yellow cake + choc frosting combo? Bookmarked this one!

Anu Menon said...

Ahhh... i jus screwed up my first batch... didnt measure the flour right! :/

Ria, is there a requirement for the butter and eggs to be at room temp?

Ria Mathew said...

Anu, Uh-oh! Did you try this recipe? I usually use cold eggs and almost room temp butter. I think I should update the recipe.

I really hope you get it right next time :)

Anu Menon said...

Hi Ria... It was totally my mistake I used less flour than what you had mentioned... i have my 2nd batch in the oven right now... with the right measurements ;)
yea i used cold eggs with room temp butter... I asked you the reason because I saw a lot of youtube videos where they mentioned room temp eggs too

Christine @cookingcrusade.com said...

Absolutely stunning pics!!!!!!! Inspire me to improve mine on my food blog.. Also love how shiny that frosting is!

Megan said...

that glaze looks absolutely amazing and your pictures are awesome. i really need to learn how to take pictures like you do!

Jenn (Cookies Cupcakes Cardio) said...

Wow, these look beautiful! Your pictures are amazing...I love the "glow" to the glossy frosting.

The Urban Baker said...

way easier then the one I usually make. thanks for sharing!

ramya said...

Hey Ria,Just made a batch for my daughters class party and i had all the moms and even teachers asking for the recipe!Looked and tasted simply YUM....And my......u r equally good in photography too!!

Sum said...

Lovely cupcakes!

Priya said...

Hi Ria, I used this cup cake recipe today in an attempt to finally get it right.Had used a recipe from Nigella's site and it sank big time!!Myself and my 8 year old daughter Rhea , enjoyed baking these muffins and eating them too:D Thanks for this fool poof recipe ! v were almost at the verge of giving up on cup cakes since the previous attempts flopped..

warm regards,
Prita

silhouette said...

This is the perfect cupcake recipe! :)

Nisa Homey said...

Hi Ria, I am a silent follower and this cake is one of my favorite....I just posted this recipe on my blog with little tweaks, but ofcourse with a link to you...thought you should know this...muah to ur vava..take care and enjoy motherhood and blogging...God bless.

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