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German Chocolate (Not) Cupcakes With A Choice Of Two Frostings

One question I have been asked quite a few times, since I started blogging, is if I have a favourite cookbook or chef. I really do not and tend to decide to cook/ bake something new if the recipe seems attractive to me. However, in the course of the past two years, two cookbook authors whose recipes
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Ingredients
  

  • xbc cup chocolate semisweet , chopped
  • 1/4 cup coffee boiling decoction
  • 100 gm butter , at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 egg whites , at room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk , at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa unsweetened powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup yogurt plain , at room temperature

Instructions
 

  • First of all, pour the boiling coffee decoction over the chocolate and stir until it has melted. Set this aside.
  • I use filter coffee decoction because it is always available in my kitchen and the aroma of that coffee is something I love. If you do not have this you can use espresso or mix up some powdered instant coffee in boiling water and use that instead.
  • Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and beat well till mixed. Now add the vanilla and coffee-melted chocolate and mix well.
  • Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in half of the dry ingredients into the above mixture, add the yogurt and mix till blended. Now add the remaining dry ingredients. Mix again till just blended.
  • Whip the egg whites in a clean and dry bowl, till stiff. First fold a third of this into the chocolate batter, and then the rest till there are no streaks of white remaining. Do not overfold.
  • Equally divide the batter between 12 paper lined muffin cups. Bake at 180C (350F) for about 25 minutes, till the batter seems just set in the center. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, cool for a few minutes, and then remove the cupcakes from the muffin tins. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting them.

Notes

This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.
Chocolate-Coconut Frosting
(Adapted from David Lebovitz)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup cream (25%)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
30gm salted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups dessicated coconut, lightly toasted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
additional toasted coconut, for garnishing (optional)
Method:
Whisk together the cream, brown sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan.
Add the butter and cook the mixture, stirring constantly over medium heat, until the mixture begins to thicken and takes on a custard-like consistency and coats the spatula. Do not allow it to boil.
Take off the heat and immediately whisk in the chocolate, stirring gently until melted. Then stir in the coconut and vanilla. (If using unsweetened coconut, add an additional teaspoon of brown sugar if you would like the frosting sweeter.)
Cool the frosting to room temperature, then frost the cupcakes and garnish with a bit of toasted coconut if you wish.
Dark Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse:
(Adapted from Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup cream (preferably 36% to 40%, but I used 25% which worked well)
grated zest of 1/2 a medium sized lemon
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup mascarpone
1 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
Warm 1/2 cup the cream and lemon zest together in a saucepan over medium heat. Once warm, add the chopped chocolate and whisk until the chocolate melts and becomes smooth. Pour this in to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
Put the mascarpone, the remaining cream and vanilla in a bowl. Beat for about a minute, on low speed, until the mascarpone softens. Beat some more, on medium speed, until it holds soft peaks. Take care not to over beat as the mascarpone will break.
Refrigerate the mousse for about half an hour or so, till it thickens a bit, and then transfer to a piping bag and frost your cupcakes.
This recipe makes a little more mousse than you will need to frost your cupcakes. You can refrigerate the remainder and serve it as part of some other dessert (it is especially good with fruit).