Wednesday 19 November 2014

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes


When I say these cupcakes are good, I mean SERIOUSLY good! The best part is you don't need a cake mixer to prepare the batter. This Chocolate Buttermilk cake has a very special place in my heart because it was the first ever chocolate cake that I baked when I started baking two years ago.



What I like is that I don't have to wait for the butter to soften before I can prepare the batter. In the original recipe, the butter is melted in a saucepan placed on the stove top together with water and cocoa powder. When you do that, you would have to wait for the mixture to cool before adding eggs and the other ingredients.





I decided to do it differently this time. I cut the butter into thin/smaller pieces and put it into a saucepan. Then I added 1 cup of boiling water and stirred to melt the butter. Because the butter is cold, by the time it is melted, the mixture would be just warm and not hot. That way, I save time.


The batter is very runny and I used an ice-cream scoop to ladle the batter into the cupcake liners. I only scooped 1 scoop per cupcake liner and it is just nice to fill the liners to 3/4 full. Previously I filled it to the brim and ended up with cupcakes with muffin tops hah..hah...


Because I only used one scoop per liner, I ended up with excess batter. Alamak! So how? That was when I decided to experiment. Why not fill a 6" cake tin and steam it? I had a very good experience with Steamed Chocolate Cake and I was wondering can a cake that was meant to be baked, be steamed? 


I remember my friend K. Nor had a cake which her sister jokingly named Kek Carrot Blackout (Blackout Carrot Cake hah..hah..) because there was a blackout when her cake was in the oven. Without batting any eyelid, my friend calmly steamed her carrot cake to perfection. And guess what? My steamed cake turned out really well.


I will do another post on this steamed version. The weather turned from sunny to cloudy when the cake was ready and frosted hence the ugly photo above. I was waiting for sun to come up again but by the time it did my cake was a mess hah..hah... But wow, the texture was amazing. Soft, moist and melt-in-your mouth chocolaty goodness. The texture of the cupcakes is also the same. I had one cupcake and then decided to have another. Same with the steamed cake. I had two slices that made me swoon! Ah..............








Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes
Recipe source : Adapted from here
(Makes 12 regular sized cupcakes and one 6" cake or more cupcakes)

Ingredients :
- 113g unsalted butter, cut into small or thin pieces (can be straight from the fridge)
- 1 cup boiling water
- 125ml buttermilk
- 125ml grapeseed oil (or any neutral tasting vegetable oil)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 65g cocoa powder (sifted)
- 250g self-raising flour
- 180g caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method :
1. Preheat oven to 160C and line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. In a saucepan, put butter and hot water and stir to melt the butter.
3. Sift cocoa powder into the melted butter mixture. Stir to mix.
4. Then add sugar, cinnamon powder, buttermilk, grapeseed oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine and to dissolve sugar. Set aside.
5. In a mixing bowl, sift flour.
6. Pour the wet mixture into the flour and whisk to combine. (The batter will be lumpy in the beginning and will smooth out)
7. Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop one scoop of batter into each cupcake liner. (Note : You can fill until almost full and cupcake will rise above the liner)
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cake is springy to the touch and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (Mine was done in 15 minutes).
9. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
10. To frost, simply use a teaspoon to spoon ganache onto the cupcakes and swirl to coat. I used about 3 teaspoons per cupcake.

Ganache frosting

Ingredients :
- 100g bittersweet chocolate
- 100 ml heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Method :
1.  Break chocolate to smaller pieces
2.  Put into a heatproof container together with butter
3.  Boil the heavy cream and pour onto the chocolate and butter. Wait for 5 minutes before stirring the mixture.

57 comments:

  1. Morning dear.. I have everything except the butter milk.. But I know we can make our own.. Just add lemon juice into milk, yes? I've snapped the recipe using my phone.. If the recipe doesn't require a mixer (should know me by now), I'd really consider it.. I only stir my batter with a fork or spoon, really.. Your cupcakes look really good, I think one mouth can finish one biji already.. 12 biji only? Sap sap sui la, I can finish in 10 minutes..

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    1. Hi Louiz! Sure, you can make your own buttermilk. I know you, everything also you can sapu :)

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  2. awww, cute little cupcakes, they just look adorable and I may not be willing to wallop them cinsidering their cute look, hahahaha!! nah, just kidding, unless you have a Doraemon or Minions decorated on the cake or the wrapper, else I'll just hentam it into my big mouth!! delicious cupcakes like this is meant to be savored right?? haha..

    the awfully sinful chocolate sauce topping the cupcake, this is going to kill!! aiyoyo, I feel like using my finger, korek a bit and then lick it before I wallop the cake.. the cake looks simple and not those fancy type we see selling in shops, but good enough, simplicity at its best.. :)

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    1. SK, the frosting was a bit messy. It is best to use spoon to scoop or like what Louiz said, the whole bijik can put in the mouth :)

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  3. Morning Phong Hong...

    When reading your post, it's like reading McGyner baking a cake. Always nak improvise here and there to make life easy. Good for you. Experiment more, share with us and make our lives easier without any fuss! Hahahaha... Thank you Phong Hong, what are great blogs for kan... hahahaha...

    The cupcakes and the cakes looks lovely. Tastewise must be lovely too or otherwise Phong Hong would have told us so! Hihihi.... Phong Hong is a one honest lady! Trustworthy! :D

    Have a great day dear friend.... Today will be busy... dating with my darling Miss Phillips! Yeeehaaa.......

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    1. Alamak, typo... McGyver... bukan McGyner... nanti marah pulak McGyner... kalau wujudlah! Hahaha....

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    2. Hello Mama! Wah...jadi Mcgyver lak hee..hee... Today I am so busy and stealing a boit of time to reply comments. Ah, esok dah Friday. Yippeee!!!

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  4. PH, I love cakes with buttermilk, soft and moist and yummy!

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  5. Anything with chocolates, i loves, hehe...

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  6. Chocolate, bacon, then now chocolate again... woi!! What diet are you talking about?? Wan yeh ah?? You make me hungry leh!!

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    1. RG, I am abandoning my diet. Fat fatlah!

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  7. Both the cake and cupcakes look so good, soft, moist and chocolatey!

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  8. I love the glossy glaze of the cake as well as the cupcakes!

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  9. Look at the chocolates !! Yummy

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  10. Hi Phong Hong,

    I can see that your glossy chocolate cupcakes are SERIOUSLY good too!!! Yum!!!

    Zoe

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  11. Chocolate cupcake with a glossy chocolate ganache that chocolate lovers will swoon over!! Prefer the cupcake version, so adorable....and easier to eat :D

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    1. Yah, with cupcakes I don't have to bother with the slicing and portioning :)

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  12. Mini version of the one two posts ago? Your cakes all look superb. Hope to get to try sometime.

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    1. Arthur, this recipe is different from the previous one :)

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  13. Hi Phong Hong, I like to add buttermilk to cakes or pancakes too, really moist. Your Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes are lovely and chocolaty. Yummy .. if topped with cherry ... wow festive Christmas mood ^-^!

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    1. Karen, if only I had cherries I would have used them to decorate the cupcakes!

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  14. oh goshh... am drooling now.

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  15. Oooo! Your chocolate cupcakes looks so tempting! I love anything chocolates!

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  16. Wow, Phong Hong, this is beh tahan cake lah.... How to resist this chocolate buttermilk cupcakes that melt in the mouth??? If my girls see this, all will be gone in seconds!! Thanks for sharing and regards :)

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  17. Oh Phong Hong, these must be so so so moist!

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  18. Uwielbiam czekoladę, wyglądają przepysznie :)

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  19. Hi Phong Hong,
    Your cupcakes looks divine! One is definitely not enough! I "ditto" you for another one!

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    1. Joyce, I could have polished off 6 hah..hah...

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  20. yum......one is not enough leh....if over here...sure habis la your cupcakes. Kejap only hilang

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  21. wah .... chocolates cupcakes again!!

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  22. wow love the glossy outlook of your cupcakes, simply delectable!

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  23. Agree with Small Kucing, one is sure not enough, for me, hehe!

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  24. Just look at the choc toppings!!! Oh my... how many calories in one piece??? hahahaha... dont tell me... sorry to ask...Just wallop first.... right!

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    1. Claire, don't think of the calories. Just eat LOL!

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  25. Looks really tasty! Why use both butter and butter milk?

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    1. Mun, butter and buttermilk and two different things hee..hee...

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  26. You must be someone who makes very full use of your time. No lepak and lazing around. Even in baking, you improve the method to save time. Very good!

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    1. Mun, I love baking and I like to improvise and try out alternative ways of doing things.

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  27. Haven't tried using buttermilk in baking or cooking yet...will try out this recipe when there is a chance. Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Stephanie, do try it because buttermilk makes the cake very moist!

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  28. Love your amazing chocolate-buttermilk cupcakes...good thing that this recipe does not call for more salt, or even more baking powder since you used self-rising flour. Unfortunately some of our recipes call for even more salt, and baking powder along with the self-rising flour...one of the reasons I switched to making my own self-rising flour from all-purpose flour!
    Love the ganache topping, which really adds the final touch!

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    1. Elisabeth, one day if I have the chance, I must buy the American self-rising flour and try it out. I wonder why it is different from ours here. But all the same, I am all for making yoru won just that I am too lazy for that hah..hah...

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