German chocolate cupcakes

This is Ina Garten's recipe for German chocolate cupcakes . As usually cupcakes were divine. Spongy, chocolate cake with lovely rich custard frosting packed with coconut, almonds and pecans. I truly recommend it to everybody.

Ingredients for 24 cupcakes:

• 170g butter
• 150g sugar
• 120g brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 ml buttermilk
• 125 ml sour cream
• 2 tbsp freshly brewed coffee
• 295g flour
• 41g coca powder (should be twice that much but I haven't got more in the cupboard)
• 1 1/2 tsp soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Place the flour, cocoa powder, soda and salt in a bowl and whisk them together.  In a separate bowl whisk the buttermilk, sour cream and coffee.

Butter, sugar and brown sugar beat in an electric mixer until fluffy for about 5 minutes. Add one egg at a time. When egg are well incorporated add the vanilla extract. Then beating continuously add alternately the flour and buttermilk mixture in three additions. 

Spoon the batter into prepared paper cases, 2/3 full. Bake in preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

Transfer baked cupcakes into a wire rack to cool down. In a meantime prepare the frosting.

Frosting ingredients:

• 170g butter
• 410g evaporated milk
• 230 g brown sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond essence
• 135g dessicated coconut
• 100g almond flakes
• 50g chopped pecans
• 1/4 tsp salt

 Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Stir in the milk, brown sugar and egg yolks. Heat this mixture up stirring continuously. Cook for 15 minutes until thickens. Set aside from the heat and add the vanilla extract and almond essence. Then stir in the coconut, almond, pecans and salt. Set aside for an hour to cool the mixture down.

Spread the mixture over each cupcake top.

 Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

 

Gingerbread latte

Those cupcakes were very delicious. Gingerbread flavour, soft and rich cake with cinnamon and coffee butter cream. Perfect ! The recipe comes form 'Making cupcakes with Lola' cookbook.

Ingredients for 12-18 cupcakes:

• 120g golden syrup
• 120g black treacle
• 200g heavy cream
• 250g flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 and 1/2 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tsp instant coffee
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 135g butter
• 125g brown sugar
• 2 eggs

Sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa, coffee, ginger, mixed spice, nutmeg, salt into a big bowl and set aside.

Put the golden syrup, black treacle and heavy cream into a sauce pan. Heat the ingredients up until they turn into liquid. Do  not  let the mixture to boil.

Into an electric mixer bowl put the butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. 

In a meantime preheat the oven to 180C. line muffin tin with paper cases.

When the butter and sugar turn into fluffy mixture add the eggs one at the time beating continuously. When the eggs well incorporated add half of the flour mixture and half of wet ingredients mixture beat until all ingredients combined and repeat with remaining ingredients. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases about 3/4 full. Bake about 25 minutes. When ready remove form the oven and keep for a while in muffin tin then transfer to wire rack to cool down completely.

Ingredients for frosting:

• 120g soft butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 300g icing sugar
• 3 tbsp milk
• mixture of 2 tsp instant coffee and 1/2 tsp boiling water and  1 tsp cinnamon

Place the butter into an electric mixer bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Then add the vanilla extract and sugar (reduce the mixer speed otherwise your kitchen will be dusted with sugar) and beat until well incorporated. The add the milk and increase the speed to high. 

In a meantime put the instant coffee, cinnamon and boiling water into a small bowl and combine them with a spoon until they turn into a thick mixture. When the butter cream is ready add thick mixture and beat until is well incorporated. 

Put the butter cream on top of each cupcake. Enjoy !

 

 

Coconut cappucino muffins

When I found this recipe on Sprinkle Bakes blog I had to try to bake those muffins. I just thought they must have been delicious and believe me they were.  Coffee cake with chocolate chips, filled with creamy cheese and sprinkled with coconut streusel... what else to add. And they are not difficult to make, although I modified the recipe slightly.

 

First step to prepare those muffins would be coconut streusel.

Ingredients for coconut streusel:

• 60g flour
• 80g sugar
• 40g desiccated coconut
• 2 tbsp melted butter

Place dry ingredients into a medium size bowl and combine them. Put the 125g butter ( you will need it later for muffin batter) into a sauce pan or a bowl and melt the butter on a heat or in microwave. Pour two tablespoons of melted butter into dry ingredients, set aside the remaining butter. Whisk all ingredients together and set aside.

Ingredients for 12-18 muffin:

• 280g flour
• 150g sugar
• 2 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 250 ml milk
• 2 tbsp instant coffee
• 125g melted butter
• 1 egg
• 100g chocolate chips

 In a big bowl whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. 

Pour the milk into measuring jug add instant coffee and whisk until dissolves then add the egg and whisk well. 

Pour the wet ingredients to the bowl with dry ones, add melted butter and whisk until just combined. At last, but not at least, gently fold in the chocolate chips. 

Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Prepare the cheese filling.

Ingredients for cheese filling:

• 200g cream cheese
• 100g mascarpone
• 140g sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Place the cream cheese, mascarpone  and sugar  into an electric mixer bowl and beat well. Then add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth and creamy.

Put in front of you prepared earlier muffin tin with paper cases, the muffin batter, the cream cheese filling and the coconut streusel. Put one table spoon of batter into each paper case, then put one heaped teaspoon of cream cheese filling and cover with muffin batter. Don not over load the muffin cases, 3/4 full is enough as the batter while baked rises and spreads on the sides. When all the muffin cases are full sprinkle the batter with coconut streusell. Bake for 20-25 minutes. When well risen and golden remove from the oven, leave for a few minutes into baking tin then transfer to the wire rack to cool down. Enjoy !

Coffee and pecan muffins

Those muffins were soft but not fluffy, with gentle coffee flavor and crunchy, sweet pecans hidden inside. Decorated with delicious coffee cream on the top and another crunchy nut.  I think they belong to top ten favourite muffins/cupcake on this blog. What make those muffins especially delicious are the nuts which are dipped in toffee before added to the batter. 

The recipe comes from 'The Australian Women's Weekly. Muffins".

To make those muffins start with toffee nuts.

Ingredients for toffee nuts:

• 125g pecans
• 115g caster sugar
• 60 ml water  

Reserve 12 whole nuts. Chop remaining nuts finely.

Prepare silicone mat. Set aside.

Put the sugar and water into a saucepan. Stir the ingredients over a heat without boiling until sugar dissolves. Then simmer uncovered, without stirring, until toffee is golden brown (about 10 minutes). Dip whole nuts into a hot toffee and place them one by one on silicone mat. Then stir in the chopped nuts into a toffee, spread the mixture over the silicone mat. When set reserve the whole nuts and chop the remaining ones finely. Set aside.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 215g caster sugar
• 375g flour
• 1 tsp soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 90g butter
• 310ml buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp instant coffee

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Sift the flour, soda, baking powder into a bog bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles semolina. Stir in the sugar and chopped nuts.

In separate jug combine buttermilk, whisked egg and instant coffee. Pour the wet ingredients into a bowl with dry ones.  Stir until just combined.

Spoon the batter into baking cases about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Then remove from the oven and transfer to the wire rack to cool down.

When muffins are in the oven it is time to prepare the coffee cream.

Ingredients for coffee cream:

• 185g cream cheese
• 55g caster sugar
• 1 tsp instant coffee
• 2 tsp boiling water 

Put instant coffee in a small cup pour over the boiling water.

Place the cheese and sugar in a bowl, with electric mixer beat them together until sugar dissolves. Then add the coffee and whisk until smooth. 

When muffins are completely dry spoon the coffee cream on top of each one then put one whole nut to decorate. Enjoy !

 

Coffee cocoa muffins with halva

When I saw this coffee and halva muffins recipe I decided to bake them. I changed original recipe as I added layer of cocoa dough, some chocolate and sprinkle muffin tops with halva crumbs. Muffins were very tasty. The layer of coffee doughs was fluffy, halva partly melted inside and the chocolate dough was crunchy on the top. 

Ingredient for 12 big muffins

coffee batter:

• 100g melted butter
• 1 egg
• 125 ml milk
• 2 tbsp instant coffee brewed in 2 tbsp hot water
• 150g sugar
• vanilla sugar
• 220g flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 12 pieces of halva
• 12 pieces of chocolate

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool down. Brew the coffee add milk and set aside.

In a big bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. set aside.

In separate bowl combine the butter, sugars, egg and coffee with milk. Whisk everything together. Pour this mixture into dry ingredients. Mix all ingredients together until just combined. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases, place piece of halva and piece of chocolate on top of each batter. Set aside.

cocoa batter:

• 100g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp cocoa
• 50g sugar
• 1 egg
• 50 ml milk
• some halva crumbs

Into a bowl sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa. Whisk them together. In separate bowl whisk together the egg, sugar and milk. Pour the wet ingredients mixture into dry ones. Spoon the batter over each prepared earlier muffin base, try to cover the halva and chocolate so they stay inside. Sprinkle each muffin top with halva crumbs.

Bake for 20 -25 minutes. Until toothpick stick in the middle comes out clean. Enjoy !

Banoffee cupcakes

Banoffee pie is extremely popular and delicious dessert. In my opinion those cupcakes taste exactly like one. They weren't difficult to make although it took a while to put all parts together. The recipe comes form Carol Pastor '75 best ever muffins' cook book.

Ingredients for 8 cupcakes:

• 75g butter
• 115g soft light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 225g flour
• 2 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 bananas
• 1 orange zest finely grated
• 30 ml buttermilk
• 8 tsp dulce de leche

Preheat the oven to 190C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.
Into electric mixer bowl put the butter and sugar and beat them until creamy. Gradually add the egg.
Sift the flour and baking powder into separate bowl and set aside.
Mash the bananas and fold half into butter-sugar mixture. Then add the orange zest and half of the flour.
When all ingredients combined fold in remaining flour and bananas with a buttermilk, until just combined.

Spoon the batter into muffin cases. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and springy to the touch. Transfer them to the wire rack and let them cool completely.

Make the cavity in the top of each muffin and fill with dulce the leche. I put 1 teaspoon into each muffin, but it is really up to you what amount of dulce the leche you put in.

For the frosting*:

• 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules dissolved in 1 tsp hot water
•  150ml double cream
• 1 1/2 tsp dulce the leche

*Those are original quantities while I doubled them as I think those cupcakes taste better with more cream

Pour the coffee, dulce the leche and double cream into electric mixer bowl and whisk the together until stiff. Spread over the cakes. You may put slice of banana on top.

For the coffee syrup:

• 2 tsp dark muscovado sugar
• 1 tsp boiling water
• 2 tbsp dulce the leche       

Dissolve the sugar into boiling water and add the dulce the leche. Drizzle over the cakes.

Chocolate chip and coffee muffins

Today I would like to present my own recipe for chocolate chip and coffee muffins. I am particularly happy about this one as muffins taste exactly as I like them. They are soft and fluffy with crunchy tops. Really nice :)

Ingredients for 6-8 muffins:

• 95g flour
• 40g corn flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp ground coffee
• 1 egg
• 70g icing sugar
• 70g butter or margarine
• 1 tsp espresso brewed in 50 ml hot water
• 25 ml milk
• 3 tbsp dark chocolate chip + some for melting

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

In a big bowl sift the flours, baking powder, soda, salt and coffee and whisk them together. In a measuring jug pour the espresso coffee with hot water. Pour the coffee into dry ingredients mixture. Add the milk and egg. Combine all ingredients together. Then gently fold in chocolate chips. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases about 3/4 full. Those muffins rise nicely. Bake them for 15-20 minutes until toothpick picked in the middle comes out clean. When baked leave them for a few minutes in the baking tin. Then transfer to the wire rack to cool down completely.

Melt some dark chocolate and pour over each muffin top.