SUNDAYYYYY is BAKE DAYYYY!!! I am a nutter for anything with nuts so this time around I thought of using some walnuts that I have been wanting to make use of. The earthy taste of walnuts goes well with coffee so I decided to make MOCHA WALNUT CUPCAKES!
This recipe makes 20 cuppies, more than enough for you to stuff ur face with while sharing it among friends and family :)
First things first:
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tbsp instant espresso coffee powder ( Living in Sri Lanka, espresso granules are not found in regular households so I used regular Nestcafe)
- 85 grams butter
- 100 grams white sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 200 ml water
- 225 grams flour
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder ( I used Cadbury)
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 large egg
- 40 grams chopped walnuts
Whipped cream frosting:
- 1.5 tsp coffee mixed with 1 tsp hot water
- 1 carton of small Anchor whipping cream (250 ml)
- 2-3 tbsp of icing sugar (less or more according to your taste)
Decoration:
- Few whole walnuts
- cocoa powder for dusting
I always start to pre heat the oven half way through the cake making process so leave turning on your oven for now and get STARTED!!!
Place a bowl in the fridge large enough to whip the whipping cream later. This will ensure that the cream does not go flat and whips up to be more stiff.
Place the coffee powder, honey, sugar, butter and the water in a saucepan.
Heat gently while stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and leave it to simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Pour the mixture to a heatproof bowl and leave it to cool.
Lightly beat the egg in a dish. Add the soda bicarbonate to the milk and stir to dissolve. leave it aside.
Make sure the mixture has cooled to start adding in the flour and cocoa powder. Add the egg and soda + milk mixture and beat together until smooth. Finally add the chopped walnuts and mix again.
Now is a good time to pre heat the oven to 180 C/350 F or gas mark 4.
Line your cupcake tray with 20 paper cases. Use an ice cream scoop to pour the batter in to the cases.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until its risen and firm to the touch. transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Take the cold bowl from the fridge and pour the contents of the whipping cream sachet. Whip it until it starts to hold its shape. Add the icing sugar and the concentrated coffee mixture. Whip until the cream is stiff enough to pipe on top of the cupcakes.
Pour the whipped cream to a piping bag and drop them on the top of the cupcake. Place half a walnut on top for garnishing purposes and dust cocoa powder to add a more dramatized effect.
Now...the most important part of the process....
carefully select the cupcake of your choice and SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR MOUTH AS FAST AS YOU CAN. Repeat this process until you get sick of cupcakes!! (Only until next time) :)
