My goal is to someday be able to bake like this.  I’m not even close right now (I’m still on the figuring-out-how-to-make-everything-taste-perfect stage).  Someday, I’ll get there.  It’s so inspiring to see that there are people in the world capable of creating this level of perfection.  This is the sort of thing that makes me want to drop everything and run off to school to become a pastry chef.

Cupcake Pictures from Le Cupcake

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The cupcakes themselves were so good that everyone wanted to eat them without the icing.  They really were good by themselves, which unless you’ve had one, is hard to explain.  The consistency of the cake was on the lighter side but it wasn’t fluff – there was real substance.  The taste of the cupcake itself had the same richness of white chocolate but it was softer.  The icing was too runny so it worked better as a glaze (think the glaze on a Krispy Kreme doughnut).

The overall rating: The cupcakes themselves get an 8.5 and the icing gets a 7 to 7.5.  The icing was tasty but it needed to be thicker; I worried if I added more powdered sugar, it would make it too sweet.  If it had been refrigerated overnight, it may have thickened to the point it was spreadable.  If I could get it thick enough to put in a cake icing piper, it would be perfect.

The original recipe called for cake flour but in the video recipe, she said you could substitute all purpose flour if you take out two tablespoons, which I did.  The batter was absolutely amazing; very chocolately and delicious.

Of the five of us who tried it, two of us liked the cake but not the icing, two of us liked the icing but not the cake, and the other was indifferent on the recipe altogether.  Overall, we rated it a 6 out of 10.

We’re going to keep it in the refrigerator overnight with another chance of trying it.  Maybe it will be better cold.  It probably won’t make a difference but you never know.  The fact-of-the-matter is the cake looked much better than it tasted.  On an exciting note, I did a great job because my cake turned out looking nearly exactly like the one seen in the chocolate buttercream icing cake recipe video.  Okay, maybe it looked a little rough but this is a new blog and I haven’t baked in awhile.

The bottom line: I rate this chocolate buttercream icing cake recipe a 6 out of 10.  I’m going to keep looking for a better recipe.  Let me know if you find anything!

Here are some pictures of the cake I baked and I show the recipe below so keep reading …

Chocolate Buttercream Cake Recipe
Adapted from the “Killer Chocolate Cake” at Mom’s Apple Pie Company

Dry Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of cake flour.  If you only have all purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons
3 cups of sugar
1 1/2 cups of unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 teaspoons of baking soda

Whisk all of these dry ingredients together.  In the meantime, take:

3 ounces dark chocolate, and
8 ounces of hot coffee

Combine these two ingredients so that the chocolate melts.  Set this aside.

In your mixer, take 3 regular size eggs and beat until frothy.  Then, in another container, take a melted stick of butter, a cup of sour cream, 1/2 cups of milk, and 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of real vanilla.  This should be mixed until it is smooth.  Add this mixture and add it to your frothy liquid eggs.  Fully incorporate the two together.

Now, mix all three mixtures together until they are perfectly smooth.  As any good cook knows, you need to alternate the dry and wet mixtures a little at a time to make the batter smooth and effortless.  Don’t forget to take a spatula and knock down the dry batter from the sides!

Pour the batter into two nine inch pans and one eight inch pan, all well greased and floured.  Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, but start checking at around 1 hour depending upon your oven and altitude.

Chocolate Buttercream Icing Recipe

1 lbs. of soft butter
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 teaspoon of salt
3 cups powdered sugar
3 ounces of dark chocolate, melted

Place butter in a mixing bowl, start adding 1 cup of sugar until right consistency.  Scrape the sides down as you mix.  Keep adding ingredients until the chocolate buttercream icing thickens.  Then, add salt and vanilla.  Finally, add in your melted chocolate and mix well.  Viola!  You have your chocolate buttercream icing.

Now, have fun decorating your cake.  That really is all there is to it.

]]> http://www.bakingsweets.com/2009/08/chocolate-buttercream-icing-cake/feed/ 10 http://www.bakingsweets.com/2009/08/smores-cupcake-recipe/ http://www.bakingsweets.com/2009/08/smores-cupcake-recipe/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:08:56 +0000 Cupcake Queen http://www.bakingsweets.com/?p=29 I was browsing cupcake blogs tonight and a blog called Syrup and Honey had a great picture of S’mores cupcakes that made my mouth water.  Seriously, I could shove one of these in my face, especially with a cup of hot, black coffee.  They offered a great S’mores cupcake recipe and I thought I’d share it.  If you have time, head over to their cupcake blog and see some of the other work they’ve done – it is beautiful.  So beautiful, in fact, that I think I’m going to head out and get the ingredients for the S’mores cupcake recipe so I can try it myself.  If they taste as good as they look, I may have a new favorite.

S’mores Cupcake Recipe
Graham Cracker Cake
1 1/2 c sifted graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c butter, softened
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c milk

S’mores Cupcake Frosting
2 egg whites
1 c sugar
6 tbsp water
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
pinch of salt
1 c miniature marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Make the cake: In small bowl combine crumbs, flour, and baking soda.

2. Beat the butter and the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla.

3. Alternately add the flour mixture with milk, beating well after each addition. Divide the batter into lined muffin tins (makes about 16) and bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes. Cool in pans for 15 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.

4. Make the frosting: In a large, clean, heatproof bowl, combine the sugar, egg whites, water, corn syrup, cream of tartar, and salt. Set the bowl over simmering water in a saucepan and heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch, about 3 minutes.

5. Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the mixture until it is very warm and soft (but not dry) peaks form, about 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer to low and add the marshmallows and vanilla. Continue beating until the marshmallows are melted and the frosting is completely smooth, about 2 minutes. (I had to put mine back over the double boiler because it cooled too much to melt the marshmallows).

6. Frost cupcakes and drizzle (generously) with cooled melted chocolate.

From time to time, I may make a reappearance but only the future will tell.  I’m sure there will be some updates and design additions in the coming weeks as the site grows and finds its niche.  There are certain to be some great recipes, baking ideas, and feedback from the community as readers subscribe.  If you find yourself wanting to contribute, just let us know and we’ll see what we can do!