It is actually Howard's dad's birthday tomorrow (but we celebrated last week) but his parents wanted to celebrate Howard's birthday tonight. Yes, we know we have a weird little schedule going on.
So I decided I would make these cupcakes for both Howard and his dad. Howard really wants a pet hedgehog, but instead I made him little hedgehogs from fondant. *grin* Whereas, Howard's dad enjoys nature and hiking. So the cupcakes include hedgehogs, a few leaves for nature (oh how we miss those green leafy trees in Toronto), and a whimsical trail path.
This is also a great time to try another cupcake recipe!
Classic Chocolate Cupcakes
From Little Cakes from the Whimsical Bakehouse
(Makes about 12 cupcakes and a 6-inch cake)
1/2 cup of milk
3/4 cup of milk
1 cup of brown sugar
3 ounces of chopped unsweetened chocolate
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup of granulate sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 large egg white
2 cups of cake flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and have your cupcake liners ready in the pan. Make sure you have all the ingredients ready as well.
- Using a double boiler, whisk the 1/2 cup of milk, brown sugar, and chocolate. When the chocolate has melted, whisk in the egg yolk. Then remove from heat and set aside.
- Mix the butter and sugar together. Slowly add in the eggs and egg white.
- Sift together the cake flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients alternatively with the 3/4 cup of milk and vanilla extract.
- Finally, stir in the chocolate mixture into the batter until combined.
- Fill cupcake liners and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Bake the 6-inch cake for 50-55 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
The cupcakes are extremely soft and fluffy. When I was putting in the cake tester it took no effort at all! After cooling for 10 minutes, I couldn't wait any longer and tried one. They were so good! Very light with a slightly crunchy top. I think I will try their Devil's Food cupcakes next time for a heavier chocolate taste. After baking these, the whole house smelled like cake, constantly tempting me to snack. These lovely cupcakes were then covered with caramel and a smooth layer of fondant was placed on top along with the decorations.
Happy little hedgehog! What should we name her/him?
These are just adorable! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteJennywenny - Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSo very sweet, these are just lovely. I have always been fond of this paintnig: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20123063, and so I adore your motif here. How perfect for a child, or even a shower!
ReplyDeleteSo so so so cute! I name her Henrietta!
ReplyDeleteThis makes me smile! And as for naming him, it reminds me of when we found 2 baby (2 week old) hedgehogs in our yard when we lived outside of Milan; the neighbor's dog had killed the parents, so we adopted the babies. Hedgehog in italian is riccio, 2 ricci. So we named the girl Nina and the boy Lionel : Lionel and Nina Ricci!
ReplyDeleteLove the cupcakes!
tara - Thanks tara! That is a great painting on etsy! Hedgehog art is so cute!
ReplyDelete*Kimmie* - Thank you! Oh, I should have added a tiny bow on her head!
Jamie - We're glad to hear that Lionel and Nina Ricci found good homes! =) We only find groundhogs in Howard's backyard...