Chocolate Cupcake!

I love chocolate.  And I'm not talking about a lukewarm affection - I'm talking about a when-i-do-not-have-chocolate-for-a-long-time-i-go-into-withdrawal- kind of love. That's why one of my ex boyfriends called me a "voluptuous woman".  I think that might be the PC term for huge pig.  ;)

I love brownies, cupcakes, chocolate cakes (both sheet and torte).  Chocolate mousse?  Yes please.  Two scoops of chocolate ice cream are always a good idea.  Chocolate cheesecake?  Oh yeah.  I can house a whole Hershey's bar in one sitting.  Snickers are an obsession (although now we are getting into the realm of chocolate/peanut goodness, which is a whole new post..)  One time, I spent an hour and a half at the Hershey's store when I was out in eastern Pennsylvania.

You can imagine, then, how excited I got when I saw this recipe.  It was two fold excitement, because I adore David and his blog, and I love chocolate and coconut.  Let's face it, I love chocolate and anything, so I'm not going to deny that. 

I was so excited in fact, that I couldn't sleep.  I lay there for forty five minutes, knowing that I had just bought all the ingredients needed for these cupcakes, and I would just sleep for awhile, and then go down to my kitchen and start baking.  But the thing is, I just couldn't get them out of my mind!  So finally, I got up, put on my CD player, and got to work. 

The recipe itself wasn't difficult, though I did think afterwards, that the frosting itself was more involved than I remember frosting ever being!  The cake batter itself has an interesting flavor raw (and who doesn't lick the spatula?) - and I can't say enough about how amazingly delicious the frosting was!  I took the time to toast the pecans and the coconut (I used unsweetened, but if you use sweetened, David recommends to cut the sugar) and I'm telling you...all the fuss with the frosting is worth it!  And, because I'm a little strange that way, I modified the recipe slightly, adding a teaspoon of coconut extract to the batter before pouring into the cake liners.  I thought that maybe the chocolate batter would have a lightly coconut-y flavor.

The batter filled about half of my mixing bowl, so originally I thought, 'hey, I'll have more than a dozen cakes' as the recipe stated, however, I chose to fill each cake wrapper almost full in spite of the fear of overflowing and causing a mess in my oven.  I'm glad I did!

The baking step was the most scary, because, as mentioned above, I was scared of the volcano effect, wondering how quickly these cakes would rise, and how high (as I used cake flour instead of my usual all purpose).  I baked them longer than the specified time, nearly 55 minutes, and they were beautiful and fragrant coming out of the oven.  I breathed a sigh of relief, went to pick up my mail, and came back to find that they had deflated. 

Each cake now had a small valley in the center, and I panicked.  (I tend to panic a lot - that's what happens when you're born high strung).  I don't know, I suppose I expected with the fact that I used all the batter for only the twelve cakes, and filled each liner to the brim with batter, that the cakes would rise over the liners.  And they did, only to fall back again. 

I don't know about anyone else, but I was glad for the thick, chunky chocolate-nut-coconut frosting that accompanied these cakes!  I covered each one liberally with the frosting, and viola, the cakes looked full and lovely once more.

I finished with a small sprinkle of sweetened coconut (although this time I did not toast) on top of each cake, and then...ugh...I couldn't wait!  I bit into one.  I promise each and every chocolate and coconut lover out there, that there was never such a nirvana as there was when I swallowed my first bite.  These cakes are by far the most delicious chocolate cupcakes I have ever made.  The cake was light and velvety, but rich at the same time.  Not too sweet, the chocolate complemented the coconut extract perfectly, and for those with a sweet tooth the frosting was a perfect addition.  I will make these again.  and again.  and once again.  Next time, I might use bittersweet chocolate in the frosting and cut back on the coconut.  And maybe use a little more coconut extract. 

For the cupcakes

2 ounces (60 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) boiling water or coffee
8 tablespoons (4 ounces, 115 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (150 g) cake flour (not self-rising)
1 tablespoon unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (125 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon of coconut extract

1. Preheat the open to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
2. Pour the boiling water or coffee over the chocolate, and stir until melted. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or by hand, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the egg yolks and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Then mix in the vanilla and the melted chocolate.
5. Whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in half of the dry ingredients, then add the buttermilk or sour cream, then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing just until blended.
6. In a clean, dry bowl, whip the two egg whites until stiff, then fold one-third of them in to the chocolate batter, then the rest. Fold just into there are no streaks of white remaining, but don’t overfold.
7. Divide the batter between the muffin cups and bake for about 25 minutes, until the batter feels just set in the center. Remove from the oven, then let cool for a few minutes.
Once cool enough to handle, remove the cupcakes from the muffin tin and let cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.


For the German chocolate frosting

3/4 cup (180 ml) evaporated milk
1/4 cup (60 g) packed light brown sugar
2 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons (30 g) butter, salted or unsalted, at room temperature
2 ounces (55 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups (110 g) sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes, lightly toasted
1 cup (125 g) chopped, toasted pecans
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: Additional toasted coconut, for a garnish

1. Whisk together the evaporated milk, brown sugar, egg yolks, and salt in a medium saucepan.
2. Add the butter, then cook the mixture, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula over medium heat, like a custard, until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the spatula. Do not let boil.
3. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the chocolate, stirring gently until melted. Then stir in the coconut, pecans, and vanilla. (If using unsweetened coconut, you can add an additional teaspoon of brown sugar if it’s not sweet enough, to your taste.)
4. Let cool to room temperature, then use the frosting to ice the cupcakes, topping the cupcakes with a bit of toasted coconut as a garnish after you ice them, if you wish.

Adapted from David's recipe and Lori Longbotham's Luscious Coconut Desserts