Wednesday 3 November 2010

Mint Choc Chip Cupcakes




















My favorite flavour combination is and always has been Mint Choc Chip, I can't get enough of it.  I love mints and I love chocolate, so the two together is just heaven to me.  I'm not a big ice cream eater but I could eat Mint Choc Chip ice cream by the bucket full.  I found a little ice cream parlour near the edge of Lake Windermere (Lake District, Cumbria) one holiday a few years back which did the most amazing Mint Choc Chip ice cream, I've never found anywhere thats come close.



















Anyway, enough rambling about ice cream and onto the cupcakes.  I've been meaning to make these for a while but kept forgetting or not having the time when I did remember.  Then someone else made some and it reminded me. 
I had the recipe in mind, I was going to use my favourite victoria sandwich recipe but with cocoa powder and chocolate chunks and then my favorite buttercream but adapted to be mint chocolate.  Pretty simple I thought.  I made the cakes no problem but then came the time to make the buttercream, I had the butter and half the icing sugar mixed nicley when my whisk suddenly stopped.
Thinking it may have just got a little hot I turned it off and unplugged it for a few minutes.  Then I plugged it back in and tried again, this time it made a painful whirring sound and tried its best to work.  No such luck.  There was no way it was about to work.  So my only option was to finish it by hand, I know, I know, nothing wrong with that, unless you have problems with your muscles like I do.  To cut a long story short I eventually finished the buttercream, it took me probably 30 minutes longer than it does with the whisk.  As for the taste?  Its without a doubt the nicest buttercream I've ever made.  So creamy, soft and fluffy, I had to add milk to make it a little easier to beat, which I never usually do and the taste was so much better for it. 
Verdict?  Having very painful, dead arms for over 4 days afterwards was totally worth it.



















Mint Choc Chip Cupcakes - My own recipe

For the chocolate chip cupcakes:
100g caster sugar
100g margarine
75g self raising flour
25g cocoa powder
2 eggs
100g milk chocolate, roughly chopped
1 or 2 tbsp milk (its upto you how much, but generally if the mix is quite thick then add a spoonful or two)

For the mint chocolate buttercream:
75g margarine
150g icing sugar
40g cocoa powder
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp peppermint essence (roughly)

1.  Cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffly.
2.  Add one egg and a spoonful of flour, beat until just combined.  Repeat with the second egg.
3.  Fold in the rest of the flour and cocoa powder, one spoonful at a time until you have a little bit of flour left.
4.  Fold in the milk and finally the last of the flour until it has just combined.
5.  Add in the chocolate chucks and stir as little as possible to mix them in.
6.  Spoon the mixture into muffin cases until 3/4 full.
7.  Cook on 180c for about 15 to 20 minutes until a cocktail stick inserted comes out clean (bar any melted chocolate).  Put on wire rack to cool.
8.  Now to make the buttercream.  Beat the butter until it is nice and soft and fluffy, then slowly add the icing sugar.
9.  Add about half the cocoa powder and beat, then put in a spoonful of milk and mix.  Repeat with the remaining cocoa powder and milk.
10.  Add the peppermint essence a few drops at a time.  Keep tasting until you are happy with the flavour.
11.  Pipe the buttercream onto your cupcakes or spread with a knife.
Next time I need some After Eight mints to decorate them with!

3 comments:

  1. Yay you made some! :) Hope your arms recover quickly. I normally mix everything I bake by hand, but I've reently started using my electric whisk on bad days!! xx

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  2. Thanks, yeah they've recovered now (I actually made them the other week lol). Do you really? You must have strong arms! I've luckily always had an electric whisk at hand. x

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  3. Haha well I was brought up baking by my Mum who did everything by hand, and it wasn't til recently I even found out you could use an electric whisk ;) xx

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