Ancho
chili powder really does make everything better, and cupcakes are no exception.
The combination of chili peppers and chocolate is a classic – see Mexico’s
famous mole poblano.
And really, doesn’t devil’s food cake just sound
like the type of dish that should have some kick to it? The cupcake recipe is
adapted from Martha
Stewart’s, and will yield 12 cupcakes. The frosting is this
recipe just with the addition of cayenne. It ended up yielding enough for
about 16 cupcakes. Making too much frosting isn’t ideal, but it’s a good
problem to have.
Cupcakes:
1/4 cup
unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup
hot water
1.5
cups all-purpose flour
1
teaspoon baking powder
1/2
teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/4
teaspoon ancho chili powder
12
tablespoons (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup
sugar
2 large
eggs, room temperature
2
teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup
sour cream, room temperature
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with
cupcake liners.
Melt the butter along with the sugar in a small saucepan
over medium-low heat. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat at
medium-low speed for 5 minutes, until mixture is cooled. If you find that the
butter/sugar mixture is still rather warm, do what I did and stick it outside
on a freezing cold balcony for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, add the cocoa powder to the hot water and stir to
combine. In a large bowl, whisk together
the flour, baking powder, ancho chili powder and salt.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated
(still medium low speed). Add the vanilla, then the hot cocoa water mixture,
beating until combined. Reduce the speed to low, and add the flour mixture and
the sour cream, alternating in two batches (i.e. half the flour, half the sour
cream, repeat).
Divide the batter into the muffin tins, using a little under
a quarter cup each. The batter should fill the tins ¾ of the way. Bake for 20
minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out
clean. Let cool completely before icing.
Spicy Chocolate Frosting:
1 cup
(8 ounces/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups
powdered sugar
1
teaspoon vanilla extract
4
ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli 60% cacao), melted and cooled
¼
teaspoon cayenne pepper
In a stand mixer, whip the butter using your whisk
attachment on medium high for 5 minutes. You’ll want to scrape the
bowl/dislodge stuck butter from the whisk once or twice during this time.
Reduce the speed to low, and slowly pour in the powdered
sugar. Once the sugar and butter are combined, add the vanilla extract and
cayenne, beating until combined. Slowly pour in the melted chocolate, beating
to combine. You’ll need to scrape down the bowl to incorporate all the
chocolate. Increase the speed to medium-high, and whip for 2 minutes until
light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping
bag fitted with a ½” star tip before dispensing on top of the cupcakes.
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