Mini hazelnut & chocolate cupcakes...

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Here's a recipe that can make it to your dessert table in no time, small in size but big on chocolate sweetness. I make this recipe for my kids often and it's ashame I had not shared it with you all. Frosted with "Nutella", need I say more?


Ingredients
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup toasted ground hazelnuts
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
6 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Nutella to frost

Set your oven to 350* F (I bake mine in an electric muffin/cupcake maker).
Line a mini cupcake pan with liners, set aside. In a large bowl sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a seperate bowl whisk your egg and sugar until light and creamy, slowly stream in the oil and continue to whisk until well combined. Gently fold in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk to the egg mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Pour 1/2 of the batter into a seperate bowl and whisk in 1 tablespoon of cocoa just until combined. Spoon in the batter into your prepared cupcake pan starting and ending with the white mixture 2/3 full and bake for approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until toothpic inserted in the center comes out clean. Invert cupcakes onto a rack and cool completely. Frost cooled cupcakes with nuttela and eat at room temperature or cold.

Whipped chocolate ganache covered, Chocolate cupcakes.

I know the title to this recipe may sound a little confusing but I just had to give the chocolate ganache first place in my recipe. Whipped chocolate ganache is like no other cake topping I have ever tasted, it's fluffy like whip cream, yet so rich like chocolate ganache. The chocolate cupcake recipe is made using both cocoa powder and malted chocolate milk powder. This recipe yields 3 dozen chocolate cupcakes, so be afraid, be very afraid. I've been eating 3 a day.


Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup chocolate malted milk powder
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1 cup oil
3 eggs
1 cup mini chocolate chips (tossed it 2 tablespoons of malted milk)

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350* f. Line two cupcake sheet pans with cupcake liners, set aside. In a large bowl sift your flour, cocoa powder, malted chocolate milk, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside. In a seperate bolw, combine your eggs and sugar and beat with a hand or electric whisk until fluffy and light in color. Stream in the oil and continue to whisk on low speed. Combine the milk and coffee in a large cup.
Gently fold in the flour mixture alternately with the milk to the egg mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Toss the chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons of malted chocolate milk and gently fold into your batter. Make sure as you're spooning the batter into the prepared pan, to get even amounts of chocolate morsels into every cupcake mold. If the morsels beggin to sink to the bottom just give the batter a light fold to bring them back onto the top. Fill your cupcake liners 2/3 up and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpic inserted in the center comes out clean.


Whipped chocolate ganache
2 cups heavy cream (UK, double cream)
2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
2 tablespoons icing sugar (powder sugar)

Directions
Place the chocolate morsels in a large heat-proof bolw. Set aside. In a heavy bottom pan over medium heat, bring the cream to a light boil. Pour the cream over the morsels and allow them to melt for 5 minutes before mixing. Stir with a rubber spatula until well combined and lump free. Let chocolate mixture cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Place mixture in the bowl and whip with an electric mixer set to medium speed until the ganache holds it's shape and is lighter in color (it should look like chocolate mousse). Spread or pipe onto your cupcakes after they have completely cooled down.

Rose petal and almond cupcakes.

We had a few guest over this past Saturday afternoon and of course I did the baking and my husband the cooking. I wanted to make a few Moroccan desserts and some new creations of my own. Looking through my ingredients I stumbled across a jar or Rose petal jam my husband brought home from one of his tastings. This jam is simply amazing but I'm not one to eat it on its own or even with toast, it's far too fancy for that. So, I decided to incorporate it into one of my all time favorite desserts and that's simple American "Cupcakes". Why not, right? What can possibly go wrong with a little rose petals in our cupcakes. Well well, these little rose scented cupcakes were a big hit at our lunch in. I chose to top them with basic buttercream but you can stay on the healthy side and top them with slivered almonds but don't dare call them "Cupcakes" they'll be more like a Muffin.



Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup rose petal jam
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup melted butter
1 drop red food colorant (just enough to make them pink, not red)

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350*F. In a large bowl, sift your flour, almond meal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a seperate bowl beat your eggs and sugar until fluffy and light in color (you can add the food coloring at this point). Beat in your melted butter and rose jam. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the egg mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Pour into your prepare cupcake pan and bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpic inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Black forest cupcakes

I absolutely love "Dark chocolate covered cherries" and these amazing cupcakes taste just like them but better. I added maraschino cherries and chocolate morsels to the batter, now if that doesn't sound good to you I don't know what does. Cover these babies with chocolate ganache and you're in Chocolate Heaven.


Ingredients
1 1/4 cup self rising flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup diced marachino cherries in their syrup`
1/3 cup chocolate morsels/chips


Directions
Preheat oven to 350*. Line a 12 cup cupcake/muffin pan with paper liners.
In a Medium bowl sift together your flour, baking soda, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.
beat your eggs, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy slowly stream in your oil and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk and mix to combine (be careful not to overmix batter). Gently fold in your 1/3 cup of diced cherries in their syrup (approximately 10 diced cherries)and chocolate morsels. Spoon batter into your prepared cupcake cups and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cupcakes and cover with chocolate ganache.

Chocolate ganache recipe
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter

Place your chocolate chips in a medium size glass or stainless steel bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter over medium heat just until it comes to the boil. Add to your chocolate and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth.

Bananas and Cream cupcakes

Here is my monthly cupcake recipe for the monthly cupcake challenge my friend Noor over at Ya Salam Cooking and I are hosting. We didn't get as many recipes as I we would have wanted but hey it's only the first month. I really hope you all can join next month and the months to come. Making cupcakes is not only easy but its loads of fun. These cupcakes turned out amazing! Please do not add cinnamon to your batter or they will taste like banana bread muffins. The cinnamon I use here in the Middles East is not as fine as the one is the USA, so you may want to use 1/2 teaspoon at first and adjust to your taste. The yellow food coloring is just for fun so feel free to leave that out OR NOT. :)


Ingredients

3/4 flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
4 tablespoons (melted) butter
3/4 cup mashed bananas
few drops yellow food coloring (optional)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350*. Line a 12 cup cupcake/muffin pan with paper liners. Sift your dry ingredients including your sugar into a medium sized bowl. Mash your bananas to a puree, beat together with your egg, vanilla, and butter until well combined. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and mix until combined (be careful not to over mix batter). Spoon batter into cupcake cups (evenly) and bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cupcakes before frosting.

Cinnamon cream topping

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons powder sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Directions
Make sure your mixing bowl, cream, and whisk are very cold before mixing. In a Medium bowl beat your cream until soft peaks form, add your powder sugar and cinnamon and beat until stiff peaks form. Frost your "cooled" cupcakes and enjoy.

Let Them Eat Cake

My friend Noor over at Ya Salam Cooking and I decided to begin a new monthly challenge for all our wonderful foodie bloggers entitled "Let Them Eat Cake". So what is it your thinking. Well, it is a fabulous cupcake challenge. Who doesn't love cupcakes they are small, sweet and cute. You can practically do anything with a cupcake. Each month we will have a different host. So if your interested in being a host one month them please contact one of us.

Each month the current host will give us all a theme and we have to work with that theme. It may be a color, a ingredient, a recipe. Who knows what it will be but it will be exciting and fun. All you do to take part is make your cupcakes, post them on your blog, proudly wear a Let Them Eat Cake badge on your blog (make sure to link back here so people know what it is), then email the current host with the link to your blog. This is your time to shine fellow foodies and we can not wait to see what you come up with each month. Please make a post about this and let the blog world know that cupcakes are knocking on the door.

May 2010 #1 Let Them Eat Cake cupcake challenge

Now that it is May we have tons of beautiful fresh fruits in season all over the world. So this month your mission is to make cupcakes with fresh fruit incorporated some way.

Please send all blog links this month to Yasalamcooking at gmail dot com by Monday, May 31st. We can not wait to see your cupcakes. Happy Baking!

Please do not forget to grab your button.


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All natural Strawberries and Cream cupcakes

So, I've been craving strawberry ice cream but my husband has been so busy at work by the time he gets home it's too late to go out and buy some. Last night he told me I should make a strawberry smoothie or a strawberry slush. Hmmmm, what part of IcEcReAm does he not understand? Anyhoo, so today I woke up with the same crave but decided to fix it with a sweet strawberry dessert using my homemade strawberry preserves and fresh strawberries. These babies may not look bright PINK like your store bought cupcakes but does that matter? Do we even know what they make food coloring out of? All I know is they're strawberry heaven.


Ingredients
1 1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs (room temp)
1/3 cup oil (I used olive oil)
1/2 cup plain yogurt (room temp)
1/2 cup strawberry preserves or jam (room temp)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350*.

Sift your flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Set aside.

Beat your eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the yogurt, vanilla extract, and strawberry preserves and mix until combined.

Blend in your flour in 3 seperate portions just until combined but making sure not to overmix the batter.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 up and bake for approximetaly 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Strawberries and cream topping

Igredients
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powder sugar
1/4 cup strawberry preserves or jam

Directions
Make sure your bowl and cream are very cold, place in the freezer for a few minutes, if you feel they're not cold enough. Mix your sugar with the cream and beat until stiff peaks form. The reason why you beat the cream until stiff and not smooth like most recipes call for is because adding jam will soften in just a bit, plus the cream keeps it shape better when creamed longer. :) You can keep it simple and frost your cakes with the whip topping or you can stuff them with jam using the carved cone methond. Cut out a cone from the top of each cupcake, flip the cone and cut off the excess, fill in your cake with the jam, and replace each top. Tada! Now you have a jam filled cupcake.


Decorating tips
Divide your whipcream in half, add jam to one half to your taste and color preference, it doesn't have to be the entire 1/4 cup. Decorate cake with a zip bag or pipping bag. :)

1 Dozen chocolate cupcakes.

I love Chocolate cupcakes, they remind me of being a kid PLUS they cool down in no time. Whenever I bake a chocolate cake I sit anxiously waiting for my cake to cool down so I can ice it, but no need to wait that long for these little childhood delights. Take them out of the tray sit them in a cool place for about 15 min and they're ready to be topped.

Chocolate cupcake recipe
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup white sugar (superfine)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons oil

Preheat your oven to 350* F.
In a med bowl sift your flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.
Meanwhile with an electric mixer or hand wisk, wisk your egg, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add your oil a little at a time until combined. Now add 1/2 of your dry mix and gently combine into the wet ingredients, add your milk, mix well then add the remainder of your dry ingredients being careful not to overmix your batter. Once your batter is well combined add your 1/2 cup of boiling water and gently mix. Immediately fill your cupcake cups about 3/4 up the cup. Bake for approximately 15 to 18 min.

Chocolate whipped cream

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons icing/powder sugar

Sift your sugar and cocoa powder. Add your vanilla and cocoa mix to your *cold* cream and mix lightly with a wisk or fork just enough to combine. If your cream is very cold you may now mix until stiff peaks form.

Top your (cooled) cakes with whipped cream and garnish with strawberries, shaved chocolate and dust with powder sugar.