IronCupcake_007: Mocha Cappucino Hi-Hats

Iron Cupcake:Earth
Theme: Coffee
My entry: Mocha Cappucino Hi-Hats
Voting begins: Sunday, March 1 at 8 pm Central @ http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com/ and will be open through Friday, March 6 at 12 noon Central.


These cupcakes are freakin good! I'm not just saying that. It was the consensus Tuesday night from every "wing nighter" that these are the best cupcakes I've ever served. Hurray! That makes them a perfect contender for my first (you hear that right, FIRST) entry for IronCupcake: Earth this month! I started with my favorite chocolate cupcakes, Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" cupcakes. I added about a tablespoon of instant coffee granules to the batter. Then I topped the cupcakes with Swiss meringue (just the meringue... not buttercream), to which I added more instant coffee granules. To finish them off, I dunked them in melted chocolate. This was my first time making hi-hats, and I had heard horror stories about the frosting falling off into the chocolate. Luck was on my side, though, because I didn't lose any frosting to the chocolate pit of death!

My meringue got a little grainy, OOPS! *DUN DUN DUN* Chocolate pit of death!
Hurray for bad lighting!
Meet Mr. Mocha Cappucino Hi-Hat!
Isn't he fancy??

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Cupcakes (I halved this and got exactly 15)
Makes 30 regular cupcakes OR 96 mini cupcakes

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water (I dissolved 1 Tbsp of instant coffee into the boiling water for half a recipe)

Line muffin cups with paper baking cups. Heat oven to 350°F.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Fill cups 2/3 full with batter.
Bake 18-22 minutes (mine were done at 17) or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.

Coffee Meringue (adapted from Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans)
Makes enough for 15-18 cupcakes

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 Tbsp hot water
2 tsp instant coffee granules

Put sugar, water, egg whites, and cream of tartar into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees). Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, stir instant coffee into hot water until dissolved. Reduce mixer speed to low and add coffee mixture.

Chocolate Coating (This makes a LOT, but you need the chocolate to be deep enough to dip all the cupcakes)
2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

Put the chocolate and oil in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler and place it over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is just melted. Scrape it into a bowl and cool slightly, about 15 minutes.



Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 5

Prizes provided by Etsy artists:
DIANAEVANS
A pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES
Also, CAKESPY, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice!
SWEET CUPPIN CAKES BAKERY AND CUPCAKERY SUPPLY will be tossing in another treat as well.
Corporate prize providers:
HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS
HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
JESSIE STEELE APRONS
CUPCAKE COURIER
TASTE OF HOME books
UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM
Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers

Mocha Spice Cupcakes

This recipe was sent in by Kim Plank. It's from MarthaStewart.com and it's for Mocha Spice Cake with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Thanks Kim!

Tuesday evening, I got home late from work. I almost didn't make these cupcakes, but when I looked at the recipe again, I realized how easy they were. Not to mention they were paired with chocolate SMBC (which I LOVE!!). I didn't have any fresh ginger, so I omitted it and just used the dry ground ginger. I accidentally forgot to 1/2 the spices when I halfed the recipe. I didn't notice until I'd already put double the ginger AND cinnamon. When they were all done, you could definitely taste the ginger, but it wasn't overpowering even with the extra teaspoon. The coffee flavor was definitely unnoticeable though... maybe because of the ginger overload? Anyway, the cupcakes were definitely a hit. Someone at wing night even asked if he could order 20 of them for a football party he's going to. Sweet! These are definitely a great idea for the Fall and Winter months!

Sorry the photo isn't great. I didn't have a lot of time. :(

Mocha Spice Cupcakes (recipe from MarthaStewart.com)
Make enough for 12 cupcakes and one 8x4 loaf cake

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (I omitted)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup hot coffee

Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
In bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter on medium until light. Add brown sugar and eggs; beat on medium-high until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla, cocoa, fresh ginger, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, baking soda, and salt; mix well.
With mixer on low, add a third of flour; mix just until combined. Add half of sour cream; mix. Repeat with remaining flour and sour cream, ending with flour. Pour coffee into batter; mix until smooth. (It will be VERY thin.)
Pour batter into pans. Bake 18-20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking, until a few crumbs remain on a cake tester that has been inserted in center and removed. Let cool slightly in pans on wire rack. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream (my own recipe)
3 egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate (You can use 4 oz. of bittersweet chocolate altogether, I just didn't have any)

Melt chocolate in microwave safe bowl on high-powder for 45 seconds. Stir and microwave for an additional 10 seconds, if needed. Set aside.
Combine sugar and egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer (or top of a double boiler). Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water; whisk until the mixture feels hot to touch and the sugar is completely dissolved (Mixture should read 160 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 5 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat the mixture on high until cooled, about 6 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment. On medium speed, add butter a few tablespoons at a time. Increase mixer speed to high and beat until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Add melted, cooled chocolate, and stir until blended.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 5

Mocha Cupcakes

Why are cupcakes always better when they're made on a whim? I had no intentions of making cupcakes again until next Tuesday, but yesterday I got a strange craving for coffee cupcakes. I wanted to make a small batch, so I chose the recipe for Mocha Cupcakes from Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski (which, FYI, is a beautiful book) because it said it only made 12. Well... I got 16 perfect sized cupcakes. Somehow that always happens to me. These cupcakes are so perfectly chocolatey with a hint of coffee. They're moist, tender, and sooo soft. And of course the coffee Swiss meringue buttercream is freaking to die for! I like to put one in the fridge for about 5 minutes before I eat it. The frosting stiffens up a little and becomes a silky texture.

dry ingredients, sugars, coffee/milk mixture, unsalted butter and an egg ready for the oven!
Maybe the magic touch was in my new B&D shirt??

16 cupcakes cooling...

Mocha Cupcake on a tiny dessert pedestal I bought at Tuesday Morning for $7 (It's even more adorable with the glass dome lid on top!) Does anyone else think this looks slightly 'risque?'They're topped with different flavored chocolate covered espresso beans I found at Ross or Marshall's or one of those neat discount stores.

Cupcake recipe from Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski.
Frosting recipe courtesy of yours truly! :)

MY NOTES: I used half regular cocoa powder + half Hersheys Special Dark (I think all Special Dark is too chocolatey, all regular cocoa powder is not chocolatey enough). The book said this recipe yields 12 cupcakes. I got 16. Mine were done at 16 minutes.

Mocha Cupcakes
Makes 12-16 (book says 12, I got 16)

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In a measuring cup, combine the milk and brewed coffee. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk mixture in 2 additions, beating on low speed until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about ½ to ¾ full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 16-20 minutes (book says 22-24 minutes, mine were done at 16). Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Coffee Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Makes enough to frost 16 cupcakes

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 tbsp hot water
1 1/2 tsp instant coffee

Put sugar, egg whites and salt into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees). Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 minutes total. Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low, add butter two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, stir 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee into 1 tbsp hot water until dissolved, then put it in the refrigerator or freezer until it comes down to room temperature. Reduce mixer speed to low and add coffee mixture. Continue beating 1 minute to reduce air bubbles.