So these delicious ladies are a combination of recipes I have found all over. I am still looking for the prefect chocolate cupcake (I think this one gets close). I want one that peaks…I love cupcakes that peak! This is an adult cupcake (over 18’s please) but I’m sure if you like them so much, you can take away all that sherry and just do it without! Just remember to keep your ingredients fresh, at room temperature (unless otherwise stipulated) and to have fun. If you want to add a little bit of this or that, don’t be afraid, follow the basics and then let your creative baking juices flow!
Cupcakes (12-15 medium sized)
Ingredients:
1 cup water
½ cup cocoa
1 ½ cup flour
1tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
125 g butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate (chopped)
½ cup sherry
pinch of salt
Pre heat oven to 180 °C.
Boil water. Mix in the cocoa, whisk until smooth and leave to cool.
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy in a separate bowl.
Add vanilla extract and eggs (one at a time) mixing well after each addition.
Add the flour mixture alternatively with the cocoa mixture.
Beat on medium until the batter appears light and fluffy.
Fold in pieces of dark chocolate.
Scoop into cupcake liners about 2/3 full.
Bake for 18-20 minutes. Check with a toothpick/stick at 18 minutes. If it comes out clean, remove cupcakes.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Poke a few holes with a toothpick, not all the way down. Pour a little sherry over cupcakes (this can get messy) Paint the cupcakes with brush drenched in sherry every 5 minutes, for about half an hour.
Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting:
¼ cup frozen strawberries
250 g white butter
3 cups icing sugar (sifted)
½ tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp strawberry oil
Pink gel food colouring
Pinch of salt
In a food processor, puree strawberries.
Beat the salt and butter until light and fluffy.
Slowly add icing sugar, mix until the icing sugar becomes a light and fluffy texture.
Add vanilla extract, strawberry oil and the puréed strawberries. (My hand tends to slip a bit with the strawberry oil, I like an extreme strawberry taste)
Beat until well combined.
Add a few drops of pink gel food colouring. (Add as much as you like to get your desired pink colour)
Decorations:
Cocktail umbrellas
Blocks of dark chocolate
Drunken strawberries:
Castor sugar
Strawberries cored
Sherry
Place the strawberries in a container that will be able to seal.
Submerge them with sherry and add a lot of castor sugar.
Leave overnight in the fridge.
