Baking Sundays: Death By Chocolate Cupcakes

For a cake lover like myself, it really doesn't get much better than a classic beautifully fudgy, chocolately chocolate cake. Therefore finding that perfect chocolate cake recipe has been like finding the holy grail. I've searched high and low, in old cook books and new, magazines and phone apps and just about every corner of the internet for a flawless recipe that would produce a cake that'd be be, quite simply, delectable. But what's the secret to a faultless chocolate cake... cocoa powder or dark chocolate, sour cream or milk, muscovado sugar or caster? I've tried them all, but nothings been quite right. Nothing's been wow!

That was until I stumbled across this recipe from Sally over at Sally's Baking Addiction. Her chocolate cake was just what I'd been looking for- light, fluffy, moist and immensely chocolately- it was perfect. This has been my go to recipe for quite some time now.- it's one I love to bake up for special occasions and guests always love it. Follow the instructions and this cake is utterly flawless and exceptionally delicious- trust me, you shall never want for another chocolate cake recipe again. 

Mum's Birthday Cake and Jamie's Leaving Cake

The perfect nature of this cake is created by a combination of key ingredients- miss them out and your cake simply will not be the same. The first of these is oil, used as the fat in this recipe instead of butter it creates an ultra moist texture. Please don't be afraid of putting oil in your cake-mix (although it can seem a little odd), it really is brilliant. Then second culprit when it comes to the cakes beautifully moist crumb is the buttermilk. This is essential and can sometimes be a bit tricky to get hold of. Pop over to Sally's blog and she's got a little detail on how to make your own, just in case your local Tesco's doesn't stock it. But seriously, don't leave it out. Lastly, this recipe's real secret weapon is coffee. Yes you read that right, coffee. If you're not a coffee lover like myself, you've no need to fret- the cake will not taste like coffee at all, the chocolatey flavour will simply be enhanced to dizzying new levels of fugdy perfection.

Top from left: Combined dry ingredients, Combined wet ingredients.
Bottom from left:  runny batter, ready and waiting to go in the oven.

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that for the benefit of my health I try my best to eat mostly gluten free- see my recipes for chocolate brownies and vanilla cupcakes here. While I'd made this recipe many times, I'd never made it gluten free and never as cupcakes- so this was a little bit of an experiment for me. I'm pleased (and relieved) to say though that they were an absolute success. In my experience, chocolate cake takes remarkably well to the transition from gluten filled to gluten free and these little beauties were no exception. I know I say this with everything I make, but you really really really cannot tell these cupcakes are gluten- free. So go ahead, whip up a batch and serve them to your gluten free and gluten eater friends alike, I promise you they'll go down a storm :)

Baked, Iced and Sprinkled

Death By Chocolate Cupcakes 

Makes 16 Cupcakes

Cakes:*

220g Doves Farm Gluten-Free Plain White Flour

350g Granulated Sugar

95g Cocoa Powder

1tsp Baking Powder

2tsp Baking Soda

240ml Buttermilk

120ml Vegetable Oil

2 Large Eggs

1tsp Vanilla Extract

240ml Freshly made strong coffee

Pinch of salt

Chocolate Buttercream

350g Icing Sugar
175g Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
60ml Double Cream
2 tsp Vanilla Extract

60g Cocoa Powder

Preheat your oven to 180°C/ 350°F/ Gas Mark 4 and line a cupcake tray with 12 cases.

In a medium bowl sift together all your dry ingredients- that your flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a seperate larger bowl whisk together the eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla until fully combined. You can now slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, beating together with a wooden spoon. Once all ingredients are combined, add the coffee. Your mixture will be very thin and runny. 

Fill cupcake cases with batter (due to the mixtures runny nature I found it easiest to first transfer the mixture to a jug, and from there pour it into the cases- this way I had much better control) and place tray into the preheated oven. Bake your cakes for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops bounce back and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and tray, and place on a wire rack to cool.

For the icing:

Beat the butter in a large bowl until softened and smooth. Now add the icing sugar and continue to beat until light and creamy. From here you can add your cream and vanilla. Now sift in the cocoa powder and beat until mixture is fully combined

Feel free to add more icing sugar if the icing becomes too thin, or more cream if it is still to thick.

Ice your cooled cupcakes in whatever manner you so desire and feel free to decorate with whatever you have to hand!

*As mentioned this recipe comes from Sally's Baking Addiction, I have simply adapted it to make it gluten-free. Therefore all credit for the recipe must go to her!

Though I do try to eat mostly healthily, I do believe that treating myself now and again can only do me good- and these cakes are certainly a treat! After all , in the wise words of the cast of Matilda 'sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty'.

Enjoy!

Alice

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