It’s almost the end of September, it finally the season of cosy sweatshirts and soups, of bonfires and cinnamon lattes, curling up inside a blanket with your book and cuddling. Time sure flies, doesn’t it? It feels like yesterday when I read the news about a pandemic and now the year is slowly drawing to its close and, we are still stuck in quarantine. So how are you? How have you been these last few months?
I was trying to think of how the world is slowly adjusting to this new normal. Workspaces and businesses are going through such a massive shift that it scares me a little, that this is leading us to something we’re not ready for. My anxiety has been extremely prominent lately. Therapy has been a safe space.
If you’re reading this, I hope you are feeling well. If not, I really hope you feel better soon.
So, today I have a very highly requested recipe for you guys, Eggless Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter frosting, drizzled with the most amazing salted caramel sauce and topped with toasted peanuts.
A few notes about the recipe:
- I used a standard cupcake pan, this one. It makes larger cupcakes as compared to the ones that are made in pans that are available in India. So if you use a regular, locally available cupcake pan this will make more than 12 cupcakes.
- Please use the best quality chocolate that you can find to ensure the best flavour.
- The very dark colour comes from the dutch process cocoa powder, you can also use regular cocoa powder, the flavour will not be affected.
- Only use a neutral flavour oil otherwise the flavour of the oil can impact the taste of your final baked good.
- There is no substitute for yoghurt in this recipe.
Eggless Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter frosting
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 110 g 55% dark chocolate chopped into cubes
- 150 ml full fat milk
- 30 g dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder
- 150 g caster sugar
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp strong coffee 1 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 2 tsp water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 40 ml full fat yoghurt
- 60 ml oil
Peanut butter frosting
- 150 g room temperature butter I used salted
- 180 g sifted icing sugar
- 40 g smooth peanut butter unsweetened or very mildly sweetened
Instructions
Cupcake:
- Preheat your oven to 180 C. Take a 12 cup cupcake pan and line it with cupcake liners and set it aside.
- In a large microwave safe bowl add the chopped chocolate, milk and coffee and heat at 30 second intervals, stirring in between till the chocolate melts. Once this mixture is completely smooth, sift the cocoa powder into this bowl and mix until combined. It is important to sift the cocoa powder to avoid lumps.
- Now add the sugar and mix until combined.
- Finally add the oil, the greek yoghurt and the vanilla, stir to combine.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into this same bowl and gently fold this mixture with a spatula until smooth. Do not overmix.
- Using a large ice-cream scoop, divide the batter evenly among the 12 cups.
- Bake for 18-25 minutes depending on your oven or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes clean.
Peanut butter frosting:
- In a large bowl add the room temperature butter and using a hand held mixer, whip the butter for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Now with the mixture running on low speed add the sifted icing sugar by the spoonful and keep beating till the frosting becomes light and airy.
- Now add in your smooth peanut butter and whip until combined.
Assemble:
- Once the cupcakes are baked and cooled completely, transfer the frosting into a piping bag with a star nozzle and add a huge swirl of frosting to your cupcake.
Optional:
- Drizzle with salted caramel sauce and roasted peanuts.
can you use this recipe and make a cake instead?
Yes, you can. However, you will have to adjust the baking time.