Miette

Happy National Chocolate Cupcake Day! That's right, put October 18 in your calendar so you won't forget. I can't be reminding you every year. ;)

To celebrate, I would like to share a new chocolate cupcake discovery. This year, I made Miette's double chocolate cupcakes three times.

But, let me rewind a bit. The cover of this cookbook caught my eyes. It was such a simple cake (called the Tomboy), but conveyed so much charm that I looked up the Miette bakery in San Francisco. The website made me want to visit San Francisco - soon (fingers crossed)!

Then, there was this cute video from the publisher:

Miette: Recipes from San Francisco's Most Charming Pastry Shop

Written by Meg Ray, with Leslie Jonath

Photographs by Frankie Frankeny

ISBN 13: 9780811875042

ISBN 10: 0811875040

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Hardcover: 224 pages

I could not wait for this book to be released! I liked the way Meg Ray thinks, a piece of cake every morning!

Sadly, the pistachio and strawberry cake she makes in the video is not in the cookbook. =(

Scalloped edges. As if this book needed to be any more charming!

What I actually liked most about the book is the portion of Ray's dessert recipes. The cakes are smaller in size, 6-inch to be exact. Perfect for me, I like small desserts!

Back to the cupcakes, I made them three times because they were good. They were moist, soft, and rich with chocolate flavour. For some magical reason, these cupcakes were the most evenly and uniformed looking cupcakes I've ever made. These are now my go-to chocolate cupcakes. =)

Double Chocolate Cupcakes

From Miette

(Makes about 24 cupcakes)

1½ cups of all-purpose flour
1¼ cups of natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ teaspoon of baking soda
½ teaspoon of baking powder
¾ teaspoon of kosher salt
2 ounces of 70% cacao chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup of boiling water

1 cup of buttermilk
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup of vegetable oil

2¼ cups of sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and have all ingredients at room temperature. Place your cupcake liners in the tray.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.
3. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour the boiling water in. Whisk until the chocolate has melted. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and vanilla together.
5. Using a stand mixer, whisk the eggs on high speed until foamy (about 2 minutes). On low speed, add the oil. On medium speed, whisk until combined.
6. Once again, on low speed, add the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Then, add the buttermilk and vanilla mixture. Add the sugar and whisk until the batter is smooth (about 2 minutes).
7. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and add the dry ingredients. Mix and fold using a rubber spatula, it's okay if the batter looks a bit lumpy. Don't over mix.
8. Pour the batter through a mesh sieve to remove any lumps. Divide the batter evenly into the cupcake liners using an ice cream scoop.
9. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed or until a cake tester comes out clean after being inserted.
10. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let it cool. Make sure they are completely cooled before decorating.

I frosted mine with a light green tea buttercream and sprinkled milk chocolate Callebaut crispearls on top.

Muah! Even chocolate loves chocolate.

Disclaimer: A review copy of Miette was sent to us for review from Danielle Johnson at Raincoast Books. Thank you! No incentives were used to produce a positive review of this book.