13 January 2009

I Am So Going to Make These

{Images and recipe via the wonderful and beautiful blog Design Sponge via Eat Feed, a really cool online cooking video programme site thing, with Anne Bramley and others}.

Anne Bramley’s Triple Chocolate Stuffed Mocha Cupcakes

Cupcakes
3/4 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Ganache
10 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup cocoa nibs (optional)

To make the cupcakes: In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the espresso and stir until dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cupcake liners. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla and beat for an additional minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and beat for another minute. With mixer running, slowly pour in 1/2 of the espresso mixture and mix until completely blended; repeat. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat briefly to ensure everything is homogenized.

Using a 1/3-cup measure, scoop the batter into the muffin cups, dividing equally. Bake 18 to 23 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan. If necessary, run a thin-blade knife around the edges to release the cupcakes from the pan; cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the ganache: While the cupcakes cool, coarsely chop the chocolate and place in a medium mixing bowl. Heat the whipping cream in a small saucepan until just beginning to bubble around the edges. Whisk the warm cream into the chopped chocolate and continue whisking until completely smooth. Cool slowly at room temperature, whisking occasionally to maintain smoothness. (Don’t be tempted to rush by putting the ganache in the fridge or it will harden around the outer edges and you’ll have to reheat it again to whisk the chocolate lumps back in. If you absolutely can’t resist the temptation or the clock is working against you and you must resort to the fridge, just make sure to stir every 5 minutes or so.) When it reaches a spreading consistency, transfer 1/2 of the ganache to the bowl of an electric mixer. With the whisk attachment, whip until light and fluffy.

To fill the cupcakes, transfer the whipped ganache to a pastry bag with a plain or star metal tip. Plunge the tip into the top of each cupcake and squeeze in the filling gently.After filling, frost the cupcakes with the unwhipped ganache, making sure to cover the hole in the top from the pastry bag. If desired, sprinkle with the cocoa nibs. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Curiouser and Curiouser

Paraphernalia

This is all incredibly beautiful jewelry from the British Paraphernalia shop. Necklaces, brooches, bracelets, all in incredible collections. Wearing this jewelry, I imagine, is like living in the greatest children's story ever told, the kind that's really for adults.

Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

Cutiemus

If I had a store, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to call it CUTIEMUS. Luckily, somebody else already did it for me, stocking it full of cuddleh, sassy, affordable, wittily monikered apparel, as in: 1.0 Black Snuggle Sweater. 2.0 Rainbow Bright Sweater. 3.0 Playdate Parka (Neon Yellow) 4.0 Homeslice Hoody. 5.0 Folk Revival Tunic Dress and the bestest 6.0 The Golightly Jacket.