Well my father-in-law turns 94 this week and when I asked what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday the answer was chocolate, so chocolate it is! Can you image 94 and still in relatively good health and he has all of his wits about him. He has been retired for more years than he worked, which is a feat in itself that is definitely worth celebrating. Something we can all strive for in our retirement years…just have to get there first.
So today to celebrate Ernie’s 94th and Canada Day as well we had Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting.
There are 2 types of chocolate in the recipe, cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate which are melted together in hot coffee. This heightens the chocolate flavour. These chocolate cupcakes are also very light and moist and will keep well for a few days in a air tight container at room temperature, if they survive till the next day!
You can top the cupcakes with whatever frosting takes your fancy but this time I decided to make a raspberry frosting that would be lighter and more summery. Not sure if summery is a word, but I like it.
The cupcake batter is quite runny, so don’t think you’ve done something wrong as that is the way it should be. To make is easier to fill your cupcake liners, pour the batter into a measuring cup and then pour into the liners. This makes it a much neater task. Bake the cupcakes until the tops are just firm when you touch them about 15-18 minutes. Let them cool on a rack at room temperature and then slather on the frosting. Now you have to find something to celebrate!
- Cupcakes:
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ cup hot coffee
- ¾ cup bread flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Frosting:
- ½ cup room temp salted butter
- 4 cups icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp raspberry jam
- ¼ cup heavy cream or half and half
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin pan with liners- makes 16 cupcakes.
- Place the chocolate chips and cocoa powder in a small glass bowl and pour the hot coffee over.. Whisk until smooth. Refrigerate mixture for 20 minutes.
- While the chocolate is cooling,whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Whisk the oil, eggs, vinegar and vanilla extract into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Add the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the batter into a large measuring cup and divide evenly between the 16 muffin pan cups. Bake until the cupcakes are set and just firm to the touch, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove and place on the wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Frosting: In small bowl heat the lemon juice and jam in the microwave for 15 seconds just to warm. Pour through a sieve into a large mixing bowl. Pressing with the back of a spoon to push all of the liquid through.
- Add the butter to the mixing bowl and mix with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add 2 cups of icing sugar and beat until smooth. Add the cream and last 2 cups of icing sugar and beat until fluffy. If too stiff add a bit more cream.
cupcake recipe adapted from the Brown Eyed Baker