Day 182 – Hot Cocoa Cupcakes

So, the weather is still a little on the cold side.  And by a little, I mean freezing.  So lovely.  But, not a bad time for sitting on the couch with a good book and some hot chocolate.  Doesn’t sound too bad, does it?  Or, if you don’t wanna make a cup of hot chocolate, you should try these Hot Cocoa Cupcakes (recipe below from Bella Cupcake Couture).  They’ll be a great substitute!

    

The cupcakes are crumbly, but not dry. They’re not moist either. Just kinda in that in between. (The full-sized are definitely more moist than the minis.)  They have a nice chocolate-cocoa flavor. Sweet, but not too sweet. A lot like a good, homemade hot chocolate.

The frosting is smooth and fluffy. Extremely easy to pipe.  It has a sweet, marshmallow flavor. Not too sugary though, and not too much vanilla. Very well-balanced.

Note: The frosting recipe didn’t make quite enough to cover all of the cupcakes. Maybe I frost too heavy, but I’d make extra next time. I’d prefer to err on the side of leftover-frosting-to-eat-with-Nilla-wafers than not enough. Just sayin’.

    

This is literally a ‘hot cocoa with marshmallows on top’ cupcake. That’s exactly what it tastes like. It’s not necessarily a WOW cupcake. But it is a legit, tasty, simple, homemade kinda cupcake. A comfort food cupcake, if you will. Which, in my opinion, you can never have too many of!

Note: The flavor is stronger in the full-sized, but the mini is a really tasty, bite-sized version.

    

Scoring Sheet:

• Cupcake Taste: 3.5

• Frosting Taste: 3.5

• Overall Taste: 4

• Appearance: 4.5 (so simple and so cute)

• Ease of Making: 3.5

• TOTAL: 19

RECIPE

Hot Cocoa Cupcakes (recipe from Bella Cupcake Couture)

Cupcakes:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) sour cream

Marshmallow Buttercream:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 a (7-ounce) jar marshmallow creme
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

To Garnish (optional):

• 12 mini marshmallows
• 1 oz. dark chocolate

For directions visit Bella Cupcake Couture.

*Tomorrow: Pumpkin Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting*