Tuesday, October 28, 2008

TWD: Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes

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So my cupcakes didn't exactly turnout looking too pretty and I would rather not show it in its entirety because it's a little sad when the domed tops dome the other way. Anyways, it feels great to be baking ahead of schedule.. haha. I was definitely excited for this recipe and it wasn't because of the obvious reason.. chocolate. It's because chocolate cake recipes are generally more forgiving when it comes to overmixing and dryness. White cakes can be so disappointing in the texture department. They use just as much, if not more butter and not to mention cake flour! Could it be the cocoa powder, the buttermilk or the boiling water that most recipes use? Sometimes I'm just tempted to make a chocolate cake recipe minus the chocolate to see if I can get a moist and tender white cake.

Other than the sinking, the recipe turned out pretty well, although I wish there was just a bit more chocolate flavour. Some TWDers mentioned that their cupcakes turned out dry and how it might have to do with proper flour measurements. What really is one cup of flour anyway? I guess it can be whatever you want it to be.. 5oz (CI), 4.8oz (Dorie). For me, I spoon the flour into a measuring cup then give it a little shake at the midway point to settle the flour (which I think you're actually not supposed to do) and then spoon the rest in with a final sweep using a knife. That usually gets me at or just a little off 5oz. I really should be using a scale, but sometimes I get a little lazy, which is suprising since I'm always worrying (a little too much!) about stuff like proper measurement, mixing times, baking times and temperatures. I won't even tell you how I reacted when I found out that my liquid measuring cups were all different! You would think that at least within a brand that they'd be consistent, but that is not the case with my Pyrex ones.

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My cupcakes ended up pretty moist, but I pulled them out a lot earlier than the 22-25 mins suggested. Then again, I still got 12 cupcakes using my large sized cookie scoop after halving the recipe. Most cupcake recipes I make finish in my oven at 17 minutes, but these were done at 14. Once the wonderful smell of chocolate started to come out of the oven, I checked the cupcakes with a toothpick and pulled them out when there were a few (maybe 2) mini moist crumbs attached. I ate one while it was still burning hot and it was really nice and fluffy. As they cooled, the texture totally changed and it became more brownie like, which is still good, but fluffy is better! I guess I should've left them in for the usual 17 minutes I normally do, since they remoistened so much.
Thanks to Clara of I Heart Food 4 Thought for choosing this recipe, which can be found on her blog and in Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From my Home to Yours. Don't forget to checkout the TWD Blogroll!

Ok, this is a little embarassing and I couldn't stop laughing when I saw them, but this is what happened.

cupcakechocolate

28 comments:

  1. Mine sank in the middle, too. But we loved them just the same. Your cupcakes look tasty anyway. :)

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  2. You know, if you didn't tell me, I would have thought that you did the crater in the middle thing on purpose, for artistic effect! I think they look great! I'm glad that yours were moist! Mine were . . . not moist. Next time, I will probably have to be more careful with the flour.

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  3. they still look moist and delicious and you have more space for the frosting :)

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  4. No worries!!! Maybe you can fill the sunken center with a ganache or something - yum! :0)

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  5. They still look absolutely yummy - plus more room for icing and thats always a plus! :D x

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  6. sometimes it just doesn't matter what they look like....as long as you can still eat them. I like how fudgey they look!

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  7. Really, as long as they were tasty, I wouldn't mind the little dip in the middle. Besides, you could always cover it up with extra frosting! :o)

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  8. I think they look cute and could fit a lot more frosting! :) They do look moist and almost brownie-like!

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  9. I think they look good, it just means more icing for the rest of us.

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  10. One of mine sank after I checked on them, but at least you can cover yours up with some icing. I don't use a scale either, and my cupcakes were moist. Then again, I had to use regular milk instead of buttermilk and a stupid hand-crank mixer. No chance of overmixing here haha

    Are you getting a head start on November's recipes? Looks like I'm only doing the pie and maybe the rice pudding. The rugelach would've been perfect if it happened a week later.

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  11. Your poor cakes...but you know what? That leaves more space for frosting!!!

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  12. They still look tasty! Mine were done in 20 minutes and were not that dry at all! Yours look moist and delicious.

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  13. Love that first picture of the tiniest corner gone. Bummer about your sinking issues. I wonder what happened. The science nerd in me has to figure it out ;) Thanks for baking with me this week!
    Clara @ iheartfood4thought

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  14. Your cupcakes look so moist and yummy! I agree with the others ... craters = more room for frosting or maybe even a little dab of filling covered with frosting.

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  15. Ya know everytime I rock by here, I keep laughing at how similar we bake. I was picturing you measuring the flour and doing a little shake, which is exactly what I do. Who can really be bothered weighing stuff with a scale? Baking is like an artform, and a little variation doesn't hurt anyone right? :)

    We're just a demented colorblind Van Gough is all... but in a super cool hip way :)

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  16. Attack of the collapsing cupcakes! They look super moist though, so no harm done, right?

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  17. I think they look cute! All that really matters is if they taste good, right?

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  18. I'm the same way! I always have to taste something first before considering giving them away. The cupcakes were the first thing I gave away to people other than my close friends. It did help that I knew three out of the four guys. One of them even asked, are they any good? Duh, I'm not going to say my baking sucked, here have a cupcake haha Then a different guy, the one whose birthday is in two weeks, came into the office a few minutes later and said it was the best f-ing cupcake ever. I didn't get a reaction from the others.

    As far as boxed mixes, I haven't really been asked. I think maybe my close friends asked when they first found out I baked, but as far as others, I haven't really fed them enough for them to consider asking. My friend brings in baked goods more often, but then I found out they were boxed mixes so I was a little sad. Then again, if your boyfriend's parents bought you a huge basket of about 30 cake mixes, I would be baking from mixes too!

    Sometimes I'm even self-conscious around my roommates, especially when it's not "normal college food" (aka butternut squash - oh my roommate got so disgusted by it. And zucchini soup because it was green).

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  19. Man, a cupcake that tastes like a brownie? Sign me up! I love the way their crumb is so nice and moist. And lol about making a chocolate cake and leaving out the chocolate. I'm sure I'll think of your words next time I attempt a white cake!
    Nancy

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  20. Oh, my heart is with you. I have pulled things out of the oven after hours of work and just thought..."what the hell?"
    But there is space for a yummy filling now and then frosting. Ooohh, two things on top. Maybe this was a really good plan. I do love that they remind me of brownies a little

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  21. Hahaha, love the sanked in dome tops!! At least the glazing can't slide off the cupcakes this way ;)

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  22. P.S. The cream filling worked perfectly for me! It tasted great and was nice and smooth

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  23. Those still look delicious, I wish I had pulled mine out a little earlier.

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  24. De-flation! OH no!!! They are still very lovely looking!!

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  25. Who cares about the domed top, they look delicious! Now you're making me paranoid that my liquid measuring cups are all off. I've started to also get more paranoid about how I'm measuring out flour. I used to scoop it and shake it (not supposed to do that) and I'd really prefer to weigh it but then there seems to be a 20g range for what people think is 1 cup of flour... And your idea to make a chocolate cake with no chocolate - maybe you could try using white chocolate instead? Since it has a pretty mild flavour and you might not be able to even taste it distinctly in the cake but might turn out all delicious and moist?

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  26. I Heart Your Blog, Steph. Enjoy reading each week TWD installments. Bake-On, Girlie! Just stop by for your Heart. Hungry here....have anymore cupcakes? Ymmm. They look delish.
    AmyRuth

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  27. I actually think they look really good! I don't think there is anything wrong with a little crater as long as they are delicious!

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