The Crazy is Catching

I declare today National Cupcake Day..(incorporating Recipe #3)

…if only because everyone is talkin’ about them. 

Whenever I slide into delusions of grandeur concerning my baking skills I skip on over to The Cupcaketologist to bring my feet right back down to earth. Today The Cupcaketologist herself, JLP,  sent me an email with a recipe for one of her latest: “The Flightly Grasshopper”, a chocolately cupcake with “a chocolate-mint ganache filling, topped with mint chocolate chip buttercream.”

Needless to say I was running to the shop in the torrential rain for ingredients when that dropped into my inbox. 

I recommend you check out the real thing here, along with JLP’s other incredibly mouth watering creations. My favourites are ‘The Heart Attack’, ‘The Salty Sweetie’, ‘Il Francescano di Natale’ and ‘La Femme Mediterraneenne’.

Which brings me to my own interpretation and recipe #3. They say imitiation is the sincerest form of flattery so you, Cupcaketologist, should be incredibly flattered at this childlike show of imitation I created tonight. 

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes complete with day-glo icing

(I have another pic that makes them look more delicious and less like the kind of growths one might find aboard the Starship Enterprise but my camera just made a pathetic little sound I presume means it’s done for the night)

The recipe is in cups (those crazy Americans). Luckily I have a cup measuring contraption but if you don’t the conversion is 1 cup is 230g or thereabout.

Makes 18 to 24

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons safflower oil (I used sunflower)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate-Mint Ganache

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (used double)
• 1/4 tsp. peppermint oil (I used a bottle of peppermint liquor I found floating ’round the back of my cupboard…)
• 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

1. chop chocolate and transfer into a heat proof bowl.
2. heat cream and 1/4 tsp mint until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream through strainer, over the chocolate.
3. let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.
4. add butter and stir until combined.
5. let cool then transfer to the refrigerator to thicken, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Mint Buttercream Frosting

•   1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 4-5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/8 teaspoon all natural peppermint oil
• 6 drops natural green food coloring (Cakeface and I were a little heavy handed with the green food colouring, and it was far from natural..hence the luridness.

1. beat butter until creamy, scrape bowl.
2. add 4 cups of sifted powdered sugar, milk, and peppermint extract, beat until combined.
3. add more powdered sugar as needed to get piping consistency.

Tip: Fill cupcakes using the cone method, top with buttercream and decorate! (I was less than adventurous in this department)

Then eat with a glass of cold milk and enjoy.