Cupcakes!

I recently organized a going-away party for one of the girls in my office.  We wanted to do something that reflected her fun and girly personality - and what better way to do that than a cupake party?  So I got baking...(we all know the potential for disaster there!)

50ish mini cupcakes and a long, busy couple of nights later, I had some Vanilla Chai cupcakes with Vanilla Chai Buttercream and some Chocolate Coconut cupcakes with a Dark Chocolate and Coconut Ganache all lined up and ready to go.  This was quite an adventure for me - I've never really made cupcakes before and I've definitely never iced them!  But I had an ambitious vision in my head and just went with it.  

...and the office loved them!  I was so thrilled / relieved.  I made a half batch of each of the recipes, plus I made them mini instead of standard sized or an actual cake, so I adjusted the baking time to 12ish minutes a batch.  I also subbed in half whole wheat flour and nobody even noticed.  

A note on the chocolate cupcakes - they are really chocolatey (in a dense, dark chocolate kind of way, not a sweet milk chocolate kind of way)...so don't make them unless you have a chocolate lover kicking around.  Also, I might add a bit of coconut extract in the icing next time to pump up the coconut flavor.  

Anyway, enough of my rambling - here are the recipes: 

Vanilla-Chai Cupcakes

(borrowed and slightly adapted from Megan)

Chai Spice Mix

1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 ts cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Cupcake Batter

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 quantity chai spice mix 

5/8 cups white whole wheat flour

5/8 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup buttermilk 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Vanilla Chai Buttercream*

2 sticks (1 cup) butter

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 quantity chai spice mix

1-2 tbs cold milk, if needed

*the buttercream was super sweet and I didn't love the texture - next time, I might try a cream cheese icing instead of a buttercream...just a thought

directions:

For the Chai Spice Mix:

- Mix spices together in a bowl and set aside

For the cupcakes:  

- Preheat oven to 325*F  

- Grease a cupcake tin or line with cupcake wrappers. 

- Cream together the butter and sugar. 

- Add the vanilla and beat in one egg at a time then stir in half of the chai spice mix. 

- Sift together the flour and salt into a separate bowl then fold in the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, stirring until combined. Be careful not to over mix. 

- Mix together the baking soda and vinegar and stir into the batter.

- Spoon into prepared cupcake tin until 3/4 full (I did a hefty tablespoon per cupcake) and bake 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a center cupcake comes out clean.

- Cool completely before frosting

For the buttercream: 

- Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the butter until it is creamy. 

- On low, mix in the vanilla and the rest of the chai spice mix. 

- Carefully beat in the icing sugar about ½ cup at a time. If the buttercream is too thick add 1-2 tbs of cold milk until the desired consistency is reached

- Pipe onto cooled cupcakes with your favorite frosting tip.

Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes

(batter borrowed and slightly adapted from Sheena; ganache borrowed and slightly altered from Real Simple)

Cupcake Batter

2 ounces 72% dark chocolate

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup boiling water

6 tbsp butter, melted

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup light coconut milk

5/8 cups white whole wheat flour

5/8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

toasted unsweetened coconut* (for topping, optional)

*I just bought unsweetened coconut and toasted it on the stovetop till it turned golden and began to smell yummy

Chocolate Coconut Ganache  

1 pound 72% dark chocolate

2 cups light coconut milk 

pinch sea salt

directions:

For the cupcakes:  

- Preheat oven to 350*F

- Grease a cupcake tin or line with cupcake wrappers. 

- Finely chop chocolate and combine in a bowl with hot water and cocoa powder. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

- Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl

- In another large bowl beat butter and sugar with a hand or stand mixer until well combined. 

 - Add eggs (one at a time) until thickened slightly and light colored (about 3 minutes). 

- Slowly add coconut milk and melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined well. 

- Add flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.

- Spoon into prepared cupcake tin until 3/4 full (I did a hefty tablespoon per cupcake) and bake 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a center cupcake comes out clean.

- Cool completely before frosting

For the ganache: 

- Roughly chop chocolate up and place in a large heatproof bowl

- In a medium saucepan, bring coconut milk to a bare simmer, stirring constantly

- Pour hot coconut milk over the chocolate, add the salt and let stand for 2 minutes 

- Whisk until melted smooth then let cool at room temperature* for 4 - 5 hours, stirring occasionally until thick and spreadable

- Pipe onto cooled cupcakes with your favorite frosting tip then top with a sprinkle of toasted coconut.  

*if you try to speed up the process but sticking the frosting in your fridge, you'll get lumpy frosting; once it's cooled, though, you can store it in your fridge.

 I made the buttercream & the ganache a couple of days ahead of time and they kept in the fridge just fine so if you don't have an entire day set aside as a bake-a-thon, that might be a good idea for you to do too.

Enjoy!