Kickin' Mexican Hot Cocoa Cupcakes

Each year I make some standby Christmas Cookie recipes but I also go perusing the cookbooks and internet for recipes that look like they should be added to the plates I give to family and friends. While digging around this year I stumbled across a contest on the Cupcake Adventure Contest put on by Scharffenberger Chocolate, as much as I enjoy cupcakes I haven't really been part of the cupcake craze that has swept the blog and culinary community the last few years, I enjoy making them occasionally but not the creative, crazy varieties and decorations that some make, so I was a bit surprised by my interest in competing in the contest. Needless to say, the point of the contest is to use some really nice, high quality chocolate in an adventurous cupcake using some pretty interesting ingredients, you are required to use at least one of the following: stout beer (oatmeal, chocolate, imperial or any other stout); ricotta; buttermilk; coconut butter, coconut milk or coconut cream; saffron; molasses (light, dark or blackstrap); adzuki bean; fresh beet; sweetened condensed milk; fresh or whole dried chili pepper; bee pollen; meyer lemon; almond flour; and Sumatra coffee bean.

The possibilities are endless but I felt a certain affinity towards the spicier varieties and made a Mexican Hot Chocolate inspired cupcake.

Cupcakes:
1/2 Cup Butter, at room temperature
1 Cup White Sugar
1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 Cup Cream of Coconut
1 Tsp Vanilla
4 Lg Egg Whites
3oz Scharffenberger Extra Dark Chocolate Bar, melted
3oz Scharffenberger Dark Chocolate Bar, melted
1/2 Tsp Chipotle Powder
1/2 Tsp Ancho Chile Powder
2 Tsp Cinnamon Powder
1/2 Tsp Ginger, powdered
1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper, powdered

Frosting:
14oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 Tbsp Cream of Coconut
1 Pinch (appx 1/2 Tsp) Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp Water
1 Tsp Cinnamon Powder
3oz Scharffenberger Dark Chocolate, coarsely chopped
3oz Scharffenberger Semisweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 Cups Powdered Sugar

Optional:
Sugared Chile Peppers
Crystallized Ginger


Cupcakes:
1. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, chile powders, ginger, cayenne and cinnamon powder.
3. Add flour mixutre to butter/sugar mixture alternately adding in small increments of flour and cream of coconut until all has been incorporated.
4. Stir in vanilla and melted chocolate.
5. Fold in egg whites.
**Batter will be very thick**
6. Scoop into 12 regular sized cupcake papers in a muffin tin.
7. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Frosting:
1. Melt sweetened condensed milk, salt, water, vanilla, cinnamon, cream of coconut in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat until all is well incorporated and chocolate is smooth.
2. Let cool to just shy of room temperature and using a stand or hand mixer incorporate the 2 cups powdered sugar in 1/4 cup increments.
3. Spread generously on cupcakes.

Add sugared chiles or crystallized ginger to top of cupcake for pretty and tasty presentation.



It looks a little light in the photo but I assure you it's a dark chocolate lovers dream : )

National Oatmeal Cookie Day - April 30

Jennifer at Savor the Thyme is hosting an Oatmeal Cookie Challenge in honor of National Oatmeal Cookie Day, April 30. I've been on a slight Oatmeal Cookie kick, unfortunately for me, Jennifer's call was for a healthy cookie....after some soul searching (ok now I'm just being dramatic), I came up with a healthy recipe that I'm entering for the challenge. Now, as many of you know, I reside and work in Austin, Texas, which means I spend a lot of time around many green, veggie friendly, health-loving, tree-hugging types...many I count among my friends! The image of those people, the fact that Earth Day just passed and the contents of my pantry inspired my Hippie Oatmeal Cookies.

Hippie Oatmeal Cookies
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Honey
1 Egg
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 Cup Oats
1 Cup Diced Dried Apricots
1/2 Cup Diced Dried Plums
1/2 Cup Cherry-flavored (or regular) Dried Cranberries
4 Tbsp Apple Butter
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a cookie sheet or use a silpat.
2. Cream egg, apple butter, vegetable oil, brown sugar and honey.
3. In a separate bowl, mix cinnamon, whole wheat flour, salt, baking soda.
4. Slowly mix dry with wet ingredients. After they have been thoroughly combined, mix in fruit and oats.
5. Drop well rounded tablespoons of the dough onto prepared cookie sheet, bake 15-16 minutes.
6. Remove from sheet and cool on racks. Cookies should be chewy and moist.

Everything Old is New Again: Dr. Pepper Cake!

A fabulous contest is being held by the DomesticMuse right now, a vintage recipe showdown with really neat aprons up for grabs! Any of you Southerners out there might be familiar with what I choose to make, Dr. Pepper Cake (and some of you Yankees might know it as Coke Cake). A delicious, fudgy, rich and completely decadant chocolate cake that is a throw back to bake sales of yore, the Dr. Pepper cake holds a special place in my heart and in those of my family and friends. My best friend for instance has been known to make special stops in West, Texas to pick up Dr. Pepper cake for her step-daughter, my boyfriend on the other hand acted as though it was Christmas when I told him I'd made the cake (and had one for him)! Needless to say, it's a favorite through and through and is something I highly recommend to any choc-o-holic out there!

Dr. Pepper Cake:

*This makes three 8 inch round cakes

Cake:
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
3 Cups Sugar
4 1/2 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 Cups flat Dr. Pepper (none of that diet stuff!)
1 1/2 Cups Butter or Margerine
1 Cup Buttermilk
3 Eggs, Well Beaten
1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Frosting:
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 Sticks Butter or Margerine
9 Tbsp Flat Dr. Pepper
4.5 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
6 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 Cup Chopped, Toasted Pecans
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Cakes:
1. Preheat Oven to 350 F.
2. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa and baking soda in mixing bowl.
3. Combine Dr. Pepper and butter in saucepan and bring to a boil.
4. Pour over dry ingredients and stir to blend. Mix in buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Batter will be thin.
5. Pour into greased and floured pans. Bake 38-45 minutes, until a toothpick can go into the center and come out clean.
6. Let cool 15 minutes, then spread warm frosting over the cakes.

Frosting:
1. Combine butter, cola, cocoa and sweetened condensed milk in saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Pour chocolate chips into pan (after turning off the heat) and mix well.
3. Pour over powdered sugar and blend until smooth. Stir in pecans.
4. Use while warm.

**For those seeking the nostalgia of a Coke cake, you can swap out a can of Coke for the Dr. Pepper but do not use diet.




I served mine with sliced strawberries and inside the container was this whopper of a berry!