Dare to Bake: Spiced Chocolate Cupcakes

Mention cupcakes in conversation and you'll take me to a table with a beautifully plated cupcake (for some reason it's always chocolate). I'll literally taste it as I imagine the fork in my mouth, delivering fluffy sweetness to my anxious taste buds. It's easy to imagine then how pumped I was to get the Dare to Bake cookbook. Why? 'Cause it's...

ALL. About. Cupcakes.

And I'll just say, I'm a HUGE fan of Cupcake Wars. I've watched every episode available on Netflix. The gal who wrote this cookbook was on Cupcake Wars and defeated her competitors. That fact alone made it 10x more appealing to me; I remember that episode! And if she won, she's gotta know something about cupcakes, right?

This book is fun because it has unique cupcake recipes - not your typical stuff. I baked the Spiced Chocolate Cupcakes (recipe below) and they were excellent. I really want to (and will) try the Pistachio Cardamom Cupcakes and the Pomegranate Ginger Cupcakes. I intended to make the Mango Saffron Cupcakes (I'm crazy about mangos) but our local grocery store doesn't carry cardamom or saffron - boo. Another day!

This cookbook is broken down into 4 parts: Daring Creations, Crowd Favorites, Vegetable/Savory, and Cocktail Inspired. The sections I'll get the most happiness from are Daring Creations and Crowd Favorites. I s'pose you don't need this random fact, but I'll throw it in, I didn't know that amazing cupcakes require so much butter! Too bad, really, but I'll pretend I don't know the quantity. And, there are recipes (like the one below) that don't require boatloads of butter.

To answer our cookbook review questions:

1. How easy are the recipes to follow? Super easy. She's extremely thorough and descriptive.
2. Is the cookbook worth the investment? It's $19.99 on Schiffer Publishing. I do think it's worth that dough based on it's content. It'd be an excellent gift for someone who enjoys baking.
3. Are the pictures amazing? Incredibly better than the ones I take.
4. Would I recommend it? Definitely. Keep in mind I've only tried one recipe from this book. Maybe once I get more under my belt I'll update this post.

A note on the recipe below: I made the cupcake batter for 24 cupcakes. But I baked 12 at a time (a few days apart) since we couldn't consume 24 fast enough. Because I did this I halved the meringue and ganache recipes. It turned out that I only needed half of each for all 24 cupcakes!

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord.' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Matthew 7:21

SPICED CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Cupcakes

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs

Meringue Filling

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 6 large egg whites at room temperature
• 2 tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cayenne Pepper Ganache

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Cupcake Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line a cupcake pan with 24 cupcake liners. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, cayenne pepper, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Combine buttermilk, oil, and vanilla and almond extracts in another bowl and set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix eggs and sugar, until the eggs are fully incorporated, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Turn the mixer to a lower speed, then add the flour mixture and the liquids, alternating between the two, beginning and ending with the flour.
3. Fill the 24 cupcake liners two-thirds full with batter and bake for 20-22 minutes, until the cupcakes are baked through. Cool cupcakes completely.

Filling Instructions       

1. Before using the stand mixer, make sure it is completely clean and clear of greasy residue, because grease will ruin the filling. To do so, wipe the inside of the bowl with a paper kitchen towel dampened in white vinegar.
2. In a small saucepan combine sugar and water and cook at medium heat, stirring slowly until the sugar dissolves. Let the syrup cook until it begins to boil; it will become clear in color.
3. While the syrup is cooking, place egg whites in a stand mixer fitting with the whisk attachment and beat at high speed. The egg whites will become frothy; continue to beat until they have a thick and foamy consistency. Make sure the egg whites are beaten well throughout the bowl, continuing to beat until the mixture becomes stiff enough to hold peaks.
4. Once the syrup is boiling and clear (no grains of sugar in sight!), let it cook for about 2 minutes, making sure it doesn't turn brown. Remove the sugar syrup from the heat. Immediately start beating the egg whites again at high speed, and very slowly start adding the syrup a little at a time, continuing this process until you pour all the syrup. Add the corn syrup and continue to beat for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until the meringue gets thick. Finally, add the vanilla extract. Beat for a few extra minutes until you see stiff peaks and the meringue is thick and smooth.

Ganache Instructions       

1. Combine semisweet chocolate chips, heavy cream and butter in a heatproof glass bowl and cook on top of a double boiler, stirring constantly until all the chocolate has melted. (You can also combine the chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe glass bowl and microwave in increments of 30 seconds, stirring in between, until the chocolate is completely melted. Then stir in the butter until completely melted.)
2. Stir in cayenne pepper.               

 

To assemble: Allow the cupcakes to fully cool. Using an apple corer, remove a piece of each cupcake from the center, fill the cupcakes with the meringue filling and finally, dip each cupcake individually in the lukewarm ganache.         

Makes 24 cupcakes.