There were times I was wondering why some people leave the comfort of their houses to write or read in a coffee shop. You see them everywhere. In Starbucks, in the small coffee shops just around the corner. I never understood what pushes a person to do that.
Until I become one of them. I’m not in a small coffee shop but at my local McDonald’s. A coffee, a cup of water and my laptop. And I’m not alone. Three other people are doing the same thing. Probably there would be more of us if there were few more available outlets.
We all live in an area with no power since Friday. The temperature in our houses is somewhere around 85F, way better than the outside 100F. The highest we had this weekend was 112F. The powerful storms left close to 1 million houses in the dark.
No power and no hope. Electric companies say it may take few more days to a week until the power is restored. It was written even on the front page of the Sunday Post.
Yesterday we spent most of the day driving from one hotel to another. After 20 overbooked hotels we gave up.
The lady at the table near me is searching Expedia. I want to tell her I already did that. Travelocity also.
No luck. Tonight we have to sleep again in an overheated house.
When everything else fails we eat chocolate.
Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting.
I can’t let them go bad, can I?
These cupcakes are one of the richest chocolate cupcakes I’ve made so far. If I had some heavy cream on hand to make a chocolate ganache instead of the chocolate buttercream would have been a heavenly chocolate treat.
Don’t get me wrong, they were good and I didn’t hear anyone complain but I’m not a big buttercream fan so I had chosen ganache instead.
The addition of yogurt kept them moist longer, not that they last too long anyhow.
It requires a little bit of time to make them since you have to wait for the melted chocolate to cool, or the eggs will start to cook before getting in the oven.
I slightly adapted the recipe from Desserts all around the year.
I made cupcakes instead of a layered cake and, Greek non fat yogurt instead of sour cream, and substituted self rising flour with all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
Yields 18 cupcakes
One of the richest chocolate cupcakes I've made so far, topped with a creamy chocolate buttercream.
20 minPrep Time
20 minCook Time
1 hr, 30 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 8 oz (225 grams) bittersweet/dark chocolate (chips or chunks)
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) butter
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 1/4 (250 grams) sugar
- 2 eggs separated
- 2/3 cup non fat Greek yogurt
- 2 cups (240 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups (340 grams) soft butter
- 4 1/2 cups (540 grams) powder sugar
- 1 1/2 cup (120 grams) cocoa powder
- 4-5 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Add the chocolate, butter and milk to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until melted and smooth stirring constantly. Beat in the sugar and cool. I took the quick road and place it in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile heat the oven to 350F and line an 18 cupcake pan with paper liners.
- In a small bowl mix the egg yolks with the yogurt.
- In another bowl sift the flour with baking powder and salt.
- In a grease free bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks (they should point straight up without collapsing. My mom used to turn the bowl upside down)
- When the chocolate mixture is cooled, put it into a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment on beat in the egg yolk mixture followed by the flour. Remove the bowl from the mixer and with a spatula slowly fold in the whipped egg whites.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 18 minutes or until soft to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing and completely before frosting.
- In a bowl sift together the powder sugar and cocoa.
- Add the butter to a mixing bowl. With the whisk attachment on, whip the butter on medium to high speed for about 5 minutes, stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the sugar little by little waiting until it is mostly incorporated before adding more.
- Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, scrape the sides of the bowl, add the milk and increase the speed to medium-high and whip until fluffy for about 2 minutes. If needed add more milk
Notes
To degrease a bowl, wipe it with a paper towel soaked in vinegar to remove any grease traces. Wipe it again with another clean paper towel or just let it dry all my itself.
If you do not have another bowl for your mixer or two mixers, after you whipped the egg whites move them to another grease free bowl while you make the chocolate batter.
Sending love your way,
Roxana
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