These cupcakes are a chocolate-lover's dream!
INGREDIENTS:
For the Ganache Filling:
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
For the Cupcakes:
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
⅓ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
¾ cup hot coffee
¾ cup bread flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
⅓ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
¾ cup hot coffee
¾ cup bread flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
1¼ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
¾ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
¾ cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces chocolate (milk, semisweet or dark), melted and cooled
1¼ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
¾ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
¾ cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces chocolate (milk, semisweet or dark), melted and cooled
DIRECTIONS:
1. Make the Ganache Filling: Place the chopped chocolate, heavy cream and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave on high power until the mixture is warm to the touch, 20 to 30 seconds. Whisk until smooth, then refrigerate until just barely chilled, no longer than 30 minutes.
2. Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard-size muffin pan with liners. Place the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Pour the hot coffee over the mixture and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate mixture for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.
4. Whisk the oil, eggs, vinegar and vanilla extract into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Add the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin pan cups. Place one slightly rounded teaspoon of ganache filling on top of each cupcake. Bake until the cupcakes are set and just firm to the touch, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan and place on the wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
6. Make the Frosting: In a food processor, process the butter, sugar, cocoa powder and salt until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the corn syrup and vanilla extract and process until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then add the chocolate and pulse until smooth and creamy, 10 to 15 one-second pulses. Frost the cupcakes as desired. The frosted cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes:
- The ganache filling can be omitted it if you'd like a more traditional chocolate cupcake.
- The frosting can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 hours before using, or refrigerated for up to 3 days. If refrigerated, let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.
- I used the Ateco #823 decorating tip for piping the frosting.
(Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated)
Cooking Tips :
Learn To Cook Today With These Simple Tips!
Everyone loves to eat good meal.It will be an even better experience when you are eating food is good at cooking meals. This article should provide some tips that can help a novice become a great chef and the expert cook.
Apples turn ripe in the early fall; therefore, but unless they are stored properly, dry place. Apples tend to rot in warm dry air, make sure you store them in the fridge or in a cool place. One bad apple will quickly ruin the bunch so keep a close eye on them while stored.
Do you regularly cook with the flavors of fresh basil? Place the basil into a glass container. Make sure the basil's stems are covered with water. Keep it on a kitchen counter and it should stay fresh. The basil can actually grow roots if you change out the water changed occasionally. You should also trim the basil so it grows even more.
Always use airtight containers to store baking ingredients such as sugar or flour. Keeping your ingredients in sealed containers will stop them from spoiling or being infected with bugs. These containers are widely available and are available at most grocery stores.
Add chicken broth to your pan when cooking vegetables. Chicken broth is great for preventing sticking and gives them some great flavor with them.
Beans and tofu are excellent sources of proteins. Both are easily available to buy at almost every grocery stores. Try frying tofu with some interesting seasonings and you will have a tasty alternative to meat. Beans may be boiled with some spices and herbs for a meal full of flavor and protein.
When cooking with pumpkins, the first step is to slice in in half vertically. Place the two halves on baking pan with the cut side down.
This procedure will safely preserve them for up to a year. This is also gives you easy access to seasonal fruits at times when they would not normally be available.
This will allow your food the maximum amount of flavor possible.
Always measure cooking oils! This will help you lower the fat in your cooking. This lets you greater control over the amount of oil you are using.
Prepare some of your food the day before to save time and headaches. Cut up ingredients the night before going to bed at night. You won't be as stressed and a bit more eager to cook when you wake up.
You should be as organized as possible when cooking to avoid burning food and other mistakes, so that you can be sure the food is as great as it can be and that nothing burns. Having all your kitchen tools handy and organized will help you are productive when cooking. If you are unorganized, you will start to forget what you buy and that will make you spend too much money that could have been spent on something you would have eaten.
Use a substantial amount of salt liberally in the water used to cook pasta. This is the seasoning will set into the pasta. Salting cooked pasta will not be as effective in enhancing the same effect.
Set aside about one-fourth cup. When your sauce is also ready, add this little amount of water to the mix.The addition of the starchy water will bulk up your sauce via amalgamation.
Onions have sulfurous gas. This unappetizing gas can ruin the flavor of fresh salsa. The gas is eliminated if you rinse and drying the diced onions.
When you barbecue, don't forget the lead time necessary to get the grill hot when you are ready to use it. The grill should be prepared 30 minutes before your coals are hot enough to start grilling. The heat should have an ash covering and the charcoal should emit medium heat. This is the best temperature to begin grilling your food.
It is important to take proper care for your wood cutting boards. A wood cutting board can warp or split by too much exposure to moisture, heat and dryness.Do not immerse the cutting board in water, but instead, soapy water. You can find oil designed for this purpose. Make sure you let your board dry before using.
There are quite a few ways that tortillas can use to heating up tortillas. One suggestion is to place tortillas on an oven at a temperature of 350 degrees and watch it closely until it is heated to perfection. You can also heat the tortillas by placing them on a gas stove.These methods will give you a much tastier tortilla than microwaving.
Spices can quickly lose their flavors when exposed to heat, light or humidity. This only exposes the spices to heat and cause them to lose their flavors.
There are many varieties of potatoes, and they are not all the same.
Set a timer in parallel with you as well.
The concentrated heat in a microwave will force the oils to separate. Baking will keep all its parts cohesive.
This will ensure that you from having to go to the store in a mad search for an ingredient while your preparation. It is actually quicker to prepare everything out in advance than to try to locate items while you are in the midst of preparing a dish.
Learn to use color as a guide to cooking. Colorful foods appeal to your meals will add both nutrition and visual appeal. Be creative with color, and watch your food get eaten up quickly.
This will cause the fat to congeal on the top. You can then easily pluck the fat from your soup and get rid of this hardened fat. You will save approximately 100 calories for every tablespoon removed.
As you have seen from this article, anyone can learn to cook with the correct techniques. Becoming someone who is skilled in the kitchen does not take unobtainable skills or training that spans many years. Cooking is an art that anyone can learn. Your family will appreciate everything you have learned, so go show it off and cook!
Try These Tips To Learn How To Be A Good Cook
Cooking may seem to be a chore, and is also a tasty past time to take up too. Anyone can become a good cook well if they learn to do it the tools and knowledge to learn. The following article will provide you need to inspire the cook in you!
If you are just beginning to cook more of your meals, head to the nearest library or bookstore and find a cookbook with simple, basic recipes that you will enjoy preparing. Try some recipes and be patient as you come up with something that works for you.
Your spices should be stored in any area that is cool and dark. Using fresher spices will make your food taste better.
To make your French fries crisper, let the raw potatoes soak for about half an hour in cold water prior to frying.
Try adding cauliflower in with your mashed potatoes to cut some calories and fat. The somewhat bland taste of cauliflower helps it to blend nicely with your potatoes while picking up the potatoes. Cauliflower is also the same texture and color of potatoes when mashed so it's a great way to add more veggies, so the dish will be transformed into one that has more vegetables and fewer calories.
If your burgers tend to stick to your grill, it will be difficult to flip them without mangling them in the process. Try brushing vegetable oil on the grill or pan to keep food from sticking.
Plan to make a big pot of stock so that the excess can be frozen and used later. Good homemade chicken stock is a wonderful base in soups, stews, stews and other dishes.
Don't mix unfamiliar wine in your meal that is a kind you wouldn't drink regularly. There are wines available that was made specifically for cooking.
Prepare things the night before if you cannot handle doing everything in one night.Cut up ingredients the night before going to bed at night. This alleviates stress and lower your cooking time the next day.
It is important for cooks to have their cooking supplies organized when cooking. If they are not properly organized, you won't know where to find the cheese grater or the spatula when you need them. Keep things that are similar tools in one area. For instance, since basil and parsley are both spices, put them in the same cabinet.
To avoid burning your food, it is of the utmost importance to stay organized. An organized cooking station is a much more productive cooking station. If you aren't organized, it is easy to lose track of things and waste your money and delicious food that you could have been eating!
Allow the food to sit a little while before it is served. Many individuals don't know it's important it is to let the meal rest. Many are tempted to quickly serve food hot off the oven. If you do this, you will lose most of the juices in meat when you cut into it. Always allow your meat sit for a little while.
Use a generous amount of salt liberally in the water when making pasta. The salt will infuse the pasta thoroughly. Salting cooked pasta will not give the same effect of absorption.
Save approximately 1/4 cup of this water. When you are ready to mix your sauce and pasta together, add some of the saved water. The pasta water's starch adds a "creaminess" to the starchy water will bulk up your sauce via amalgamation.
If you're going to be barbecuing, make sure the grill itself is prepped beforehand. The charcoal will need to burn about 30 minutes before it is used for cooking.The coals should have an ash covering and the charcoal should emit medium heat. This is the best grilling your food.
Tying a turkey is called trussing the turkey. Trussing helps to keep the legs and wings to the bird closely. If you don't truss the bird, the smaller pieces could dry out and burn.
Learn a little bit about any new foods that you haven't cooked with before. You may find that your research leads to many great new ways to use the possibilities you will learn about for food.
Do prep work to save cooking time. You can get your ingredients for future meals ready one or two days before you cook your meal. There are many occasions where longer prep times actually lend a wonderful meal.
There are a vast array of potato varieties, and they are not all the same.
Fruit is especially well on the grill. Try slicing peaches, nectarines, and peaches and then putting them on some skewers. Cook them on a grill that is clean until you see the grill marks. Serve the fruit atop ice cream or a grilled pound cake.
Make sure you use the right type of potato for your recipes. Potatoes fall into three categories: waxy, mealy or waxy. Russet is a common mealy potatoes. Waxy potatoes are great for steaming or boiling because their shape is maintained. The most popular waxy potatoes are red or white potatoes.
Cut the cinnamon rolls easily. It can be quite hard to cut cinnamon rolls before they have been baked.You can cut the dough easily by placing a heavy thread or clean fishing line to slice wherever you want. This will give you perfect slices of cinnamon rolls.
Certain fruits, including avocados, pears, apples, and pears will turn brown if sliced and left exposed to the air for too long. Lemon and salt water will stop the process, but it's better to use is pineapple juice.A small dip works well, so don't worry about leaving it to soak.
Cooking can be about more than staving off hunger and starvation. Cooking is a hobby that can benefit your health and increase the pleasure you get from enjoying delicious food. Sure, you will mess up from time to time, but those screw ups can actually help you get better and will happen less often as you get better. Use basic techniques to begin your journey to culinary success.