A Cupcake Quartet

Last month I made some cupcakes for a birthday party. I made four flavors by combining two cake batters - chocolate and vanilla - and two icings - vanilla buttercream and cream cheese icing with various add-ins. 

The flavors:

Chocolate with Cookies and Cream Icing

Vanilla with Real Strawberry Icing

Chocolate with Vanilla Icing and Shaved Chocolate

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

For the two chocolate cupcakes, make one recipe of chocolate cake and one recipe of vanilla buttercream icing (recipes below). Divide the buttercream into thirds. Add crushed Oreo cookies to one third of the icing and spackle it onto half of the chocolate cupcakes. Pipe another third of the plain vanilla icing onto the other half of the chocolate cupcakes and sprinkle with shaved chocolate (made by using a vegetable peeler on the edge of a bar of high quality dark chocolate). Save the other third of the vanilla icing for the strawberry cupcakes.

I'll tell you how to make the lemon and strawberry cupcakes in my next two posts.

Chocolate Cupcakes

adapted from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes

makes about 40 cupcakes
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cups hot, strongly brewed coffee
2 eggs
1 cup real mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
2. Brew the strong coffee. While the coffee is brewing, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, and salt and set aside.
3. Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring the milk to a simmer. Pour the hot coffee and milk over the chocolate and let stand for a minute. Then whisk the mixture until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.
4. In a mixer bowl, beat together the eggs, mayonnaise, and vanilla until well blended. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add the dry ingredients and mocha liquid alternately in 2 or 3 additions, beating until smooth and well blended. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Let the cupcakes cool in their pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks and let cool completely.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
by Katherine Seeley/Fine Cooking

Yields 7-1/2 to 8 cups enough to fill and frost a 9-inch four-layer cake or about 5 dozen cupcakes

5 large egg whites
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. light corn syrup
1 lb., 4 oz. (2-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 Tbs. vanilla extract

Place the egg whites in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on medium-high speed until foamy. Sprinkle in 6 Tbs. of the sugar and beat on high speed to medium peaks (the whites should be smooth, full, and shiny, and the peaks should curl a little). Turn off the mixer.

Combine the remaining 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. sugar and the corn syrup in a medium (3-quart) saucepan over medium high heat, stirring briefly to dissolve the sugar. Continue to cook just until the mixture comes to a rolling boil.

Immediately remove the syrup from the heat, turn the mixer onto medium-high speed, and slowly pour the syrup down the side of the bowl in a steady stream, being very careful not to let the syrup hit the whisk.

Reduce the speed to medium and continue whisking until the whites are barely warm, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the butter 1 Tbs. at a time. Add the vanilla, change the beater to the paddle attachment, and continue beating until the frosting is smooth and creamy.