vanilla and coconut mini cupcakes!

As a baker I take as a personal challenge (and offense) when someone doesn’t like a certain dessert, cupcake or anything that is sweet (especially when chocolate is involved). But I have realized, with a lot of patience and tolerance (not and easy thing) that not everyone likes sweets as much as I do.

As an only girl in my family I use my two brothers as guinea pigs (we have a love/hate relationship about this), and I take personally when they dislike something and make my personal challenge and mission to bake something they will absolutely love.

vanila cupcake with a white chocolate and coconut ganache filling. Toping with vanilla buttercream with a small hint of coconut and coconut shavings for garnish.

We can all thank this cupcakes to my brother (who is not a fan of chocolate).

I decided to make a vanilla cupcake!…with a little hint of coconut!

I took the recipe from my baking addiction, but changed it a little bit (cut everything in half) and added a ganache for flavor purposes!

Yields (35 – 40) mini cupcakes 

For the cupcake you will need:

remember, always measure your ingredients first. It’ll make your life EASIER!

1 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch (recipe called for cake flour and i didn’t have any in hand so i followed the tip from joy the baker on how to make some)
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
2 egg whites at room temperature
57 grams of butter (1/2 stick)
3/4  cup sugar
seeds scrapped from a vanilla bean
2 tsp vanilla extract

** I didn’t have any vanilla bean so i added an extra tsp of vanilla extract!

Instructions 

1. Preheat your oven at 356 Fº (180 Cº) and have your molds and cupcake liners ready
2. In a large bowl sift together your flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together your egg whites and milk.
4. In your stand mixer soft your butter and add sugar until nice and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and 1/3 of flour mixture. Continue to mix while adding half of the milk/eggwhite mixture.
5. After the batter is well incorporated add the rest of the dry and liquid ingredients and continue mixing for about 3 minutes or properly incorporated.
6. Fill your liners (don’t over fill, this batter will rise. Fill your liners halfway)
7. Bake for 8 – 9 min

Filling

You will need:

40 grams of white chocolate
1/4 cups of heavy cream
few drops of coconut essence

Instructions: 

1. Heat the heavy cream until simmering 
2. Pour cream over white chocolate and mix until smooth
3. Add essence, mix and let it cool in the refrigerator.

Icing

You will need:

170 gr butter (1.5 sticks)
2 tsp CLEAR vanilla extract
340 gr (12 oz) confectioners sugar
3 tsp heavy cream
few drops of coconut essence (optional)
coconut shavings for decoration.

Instructions 

1. In your stand mixer softened your butter until light and fluffy.
2. Incorporate little by little your confectioners sugar (until is all in)
3. Add your vanilla extract and your heavy cream
4. Add 2 – 3 drops of coconut essence (if desire)

Now assemble your cupcakes!!

When they are cold and ready pour the ganache and then topped them with this buttercream (it is to die for, nice and fluffy and heavenly! everything Buttercream should be!!)

now…just ENJOY!

vanilla cupcake filled with white chocolate and coconut ganache, topped with vanilla coconut buttercream

Ferrero Rocher inspired mini cupcakes

I have to be honest with you, I’ve been wanting to make a ferrero rocher cupcake for a long time now (it is my favorite chocolate, as it should be for everyone! it is just perfect!) but this week i just couldn’t get it out of my  mind.

How to make a perfect hazelnut chocolate cupcake that is creamy and crispy and delicous?! well…here is my take on it!

soft chocolate cake with nutella ganache filling and fluffy hazelnut icing with a ferrero rocher on top!

They were a pleasure to bake and decorate!

I took different ingredients from different blog sites to make this.
First things first the cupcake. It was everything you can hope of a cupcake, it was rich chocolate flavor it is soft and moist and definitely on top of my favorite chocolate batters now. I found this recipe on sally’s baking addiction. I made a small (very small  adjustment and it worked perfectly!)

What you need is:

remember to measure your ingredients before you start mixing, this will make your life easier. TRUST ME!

• 1/2 cup of water (original recipe call for 1 cup of water, this is what i changed)
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted)
• 1 1/3 of all purpose flour (sifted)
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cups (56 gr) unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Instructions (yields 48 mini cupcakes)

1. Preheat oven at 375 Fº (190 Cº) and get your cupcake mold ready
2. Pour your milk and water in a saucepan and heated (hight heat) when it reaches boiling point pour the unsweetened cocoa powder and stir until smooth. Set aside and cool.
   

   water, milk and cocoa mixture (YUM!)

3. In a medium size bowl whisk together your: flour, baking powder and salt.
4. In a large bowl using a mixer cream your butter until it is fluffy and smooth. Add sugar until it is well incorporated.
5. Add eggs (one by one) to the butter-sugar mixture. Beat until well incorporated at medium speed. Remember to scrape down the bowl. Add vanilla extract.
6. Add the flour mixture slowly until it is incorporated.
7. Add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.
8. Fill your cupcake liners 1/2 the way and bake for about 8 – 9 min.

Filling.

for the filling I used a nutella ganache (yup, heavenly nutella)

You will need:

1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup of nutella
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. In a pot heat your heavy cream until it is simmering
2. In a small bowl place your nutella and pour over the hot heavy cream. Stir until smooth
3. Add the salt to the nutella – cream mixture. Stir. Let it cool in the fridge.
4. While on the fridge stir every other 10 min until you get the consistency you desire.

For the icing, i got the recipe from my baking addiction:
** I made a few adjustments to the recipe.

You will need:

• 2 sticks (226 gr) unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1/3 cups (40 gr roughly) of nutella ( I added 1/4 cup of nutella after tasting the finished product- so i advice you to tasted and adjust as necessary)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 cups confectioners sugar (sifted)
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 5 tablespoons of heavy cream

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl with a mixer cream butter until fluffy.
2. Incorporate confectioners sugar. Mix until nice, soft and fluffy.
3. Add nutella and mix until everything is well incorporated. Scrape the bowl when needed.
4. Add salt and vanilla
5. Add heavy cream, a tablespoon at a time. Add until you get the desired consistency. (mine was about 4 tablespoons)
6. refrigerate.

Now you just need to assemble your cupcakes.

Instructions:

1. Take one of your decorating tips and make a small hole in your cupcake 
2. Pour nutella ganache in the cupcake until it is filled.
3. Swirl icing (used a tip 2D from wilton decorating kit)
4. Decorate with pieces of ferrero rocher. (cut your ferrero rocher chocolate in half and then again)
5. ENJOY!!!!

The cake, the filling and the icing complement each other making this one of my favorite cupcakes so far. ENJOY! They are indeed a little (worth it ) sin!