We’re down to the last three recipes in Baked Elements. We’ll wrap up the book with chocolate, pumpkin, and booze, which feels just right. This week, we’re making a classic chocolate cupcake that includes mayonnaise in the batter for a super moist cake.
Posting date is October 12!
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes
Yield: 24 cupcakes
For the Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes
2 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped
2⁄3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (like Valrhona)
1 3⁄4 cups boiling water
2 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1⁄4 teaspoons baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1⁄3 cups mayonnaise
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Frosting
12 ounces (3 sticks), unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 1⁄2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
10 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%), melted and cooled
Make the Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two 12-cup cupcake pans with paper liners.
In a medium heatproof bowl, stir together the chocolate and cocoa powder. Add the water and whisk until smooth.
In another medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat both sugars and the mayo together until well blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat the mixture until it is completely combined and uniform in color. Add the vanilla and beat again.
Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the chocolate mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat just until incorporated.
Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full. Bake the cupcakes for 17 to 20 minutes,
rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Allow the cupcakes to cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Make the Chocolate Frosting
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar all at once and beat until completely blended, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and beat for 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the chocolate. Beat until smooth, continuing to scrape down the sides as needed until the frosting is uniform in color.
Assemble the cupcakes
There are many ways to frost a cupcake. If you have a pastry bag, simply fit it with the largest tip, fill the bag with frosting, and pipe enough to cover the cupcake in a big mound. If you do not have a pastry bag, use an ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to scoop the frosting and dispense it onto the top of the cupcake. You can also use an offset spatula to frost the cupcakes.
Excerpted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2012 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Never found the time to make these – after NY I worked back to back 10 hours days followed by a wedding yesterday and charity 5k in the wee hours of this morning. Looking forward to seeing everyone’s cupcakes! :)