This past week I made cupcakes for a BBQ picnic we threw for one of my coworkers. This was her last week because she and her family about to have a new little bundle join their lives.
I've been working my way through a new cook book I picked up at C&B, Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. The authors Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito are also the owners of Baked in Brooklyn, NY. My favorite thing about the book and their recipes is that it seems like they just tweaked American classics by using higher quality ingredients and updated flavorings. Everything just seems to have a different and special touch.
I decided to make their Devil's food cake cupcakes...what pregnant woman doesn't like chocolate, right? This was my first time making these and they were AMAZING! Light, fluffy, moist...everything you want in a cupcake!
DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE
For the cake batter:
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 ¼ cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1. POSITION A RACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OVEN AND PREHEAT TO 350 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with circles of parchment or waxed paper. Grease the paper or spray lightly with cooking spray.
2. IN A LARGE BOWL, combine the cocoa powder, espresso powder, and chocolate. Pour in the boiling water and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Let the mixture cool, then stir in the buttermilk.
3. IN ANOTHER BOWL, using an electric mixer set at medium speed, beat the butter and oil together until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. SIFT TOGETHER THE FLOUR, baking soda, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the batter and beat at low speed for a few seconds, just until combined. Beat in half of the chocolate-buttermilk mixture, again beating just for a few seconds until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in another one-third of the remaining flour mixture for no more than a few seconds, just until combined. Add the remaining chocolate-buttermilk mixture, beating just for a few seconds until combined. Finally, fold in the remaining one-third of the flour mixture by hand, using a large balloon whisk or rubber spatula, just until no streaks of flour remain.
5. DIVIDE THE BATTER BETWEEN THE PREPARED CAKE PANS AND SPREAD EVENLY. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the racks and peel the parchment paper from the layers. Cupcakes take about 15 to 16 minutes to bake. Let cool completely before frosting.
To go along with the picnic theme I decorated them to look like sunflowers. I used a basic buttercream icing recipe, mini chocolate chips for the centers and royal icing to make the lady bugs.
