Tuesday 28 October 2008

One of Your Daily Five



Did you know that Chocolate is a vegetable? It's derived from cocoa beans, and beans are vegetables, so eating chocolate must count as one of your daily five, doncha think? Well, it sounds good anyways!



Welcome to Tuesdays with Dorie, the Tuesday Baking club in which fans of Dorie Greenspan's lovely baking book, Baking . . . from my home to yours, all get together once a week and all bake the same recipe, revealing it in unison on the same day . . . Tuesday! (which would be today . . .whew!) The only pre-requisites for belong to the group are, one . . . you actually have the book, and two . . . you ask. You have to ask pretty soon though, because on October 31st they are putting a capper on the group. We have grown to become a very large group, so you only have a couple of days left to join. After that, unfortunately, you'll have to wait until there's an opening. I know, I try to get around each week and comment on as many entries as I can, but there's just so many participants now that is a formidable task! I have to say though, that it is a lovely group and everyone does a cracker jack job at completing and presenting the challenges!



You would be right in guessing that this week's challenge involved chocolate! This week Clara of I Heart Food4Thought has chosen, Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes* on pages 215-217.



I have to admit that I toyed with the idea of not making these cupcakes. Todd hates chocolate, as you know, and I am trying to cut back on eating stuff that's bad for me, and with so many chocolate cupcakes hanging around and me being the only one who might indulge . . . well, it just didn't sound like a very good idea. Then I found some space in my freezer, so I thought, what the heck and plunged right in.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!




These are wonderful cupcakes. Thanks so much Clara for picking this recipe!!! I ended up with a dozen of the loveliest, most tastiest, moistest cupcakes ever!!!

Once they were cooled I popped half a dozen of them into a freezer bag and bundled them away for safe-keeping and a future binge . . . I mean date. What to do with the six I had though . . . hmmmm . . . Dorie mentioned filling them with marshmallow cream. So . . . I thought that's what I would do!



A lot easier said than done though. I managed to get two done that way, and not very successfully, but what the hey, I tried.

I also decided that I was going to top them all with my own Chocolate Buttercream icing though, coz, A. I like it and 2. It's my favourite.



These are really, really, really good cupcakes. Mine were nice and moist. I didn't leave them in the oven quite as long as Dorie suggested as some people were complaining that theirs were dry. Mine rose quite a lot and came out beautifully dark and moist. I did use Dutch process cocoa and Belgian dark chocolate. Not sure if that makes a difference or not.



Once I got them all frosted and decorated (don't you like all my different chocolate sprinkle thingies!!!) I couldn't remember which two I had filled with marshmallow cream!!! DUH!! I should have put them aside right off the bat! I cut one open to see if it was one of them . . . nope! I cut another one open and checked that one too, NOPE! Then I thought I better wait until the next day. You have to eat cupcakes you have cut open you know, and I thought three cupcakes in one day was far too many . . . even for me.



The next morning I decided that a chocolate cupcake would make the perfect breakfast, especially where they are a vegetable and all . . . cut one open (I was trying to get a picture of the marshmallow insides you know) . . . I never did find the marshmallow but I did notice that two of these cupcakes were extremely moist and yummy on the insides and I figure those were the ones with the marshmallow cream. It must have been absorbed into all that chocolate goodness!

All in all, I give these cupcakes two thumbs up!! They were gorgeous in my opinion and I would make them again. If you would like the recipe please hop on over to Clara's page where it will be posted at some point today. In the meantime I shall give you my recipe for the butter cream.



Don't forget to tune in next Tuesday when the group will all be baking Rugelach from pages 150-152, as chosen by Piggy of Piggy’s Cooking Journal . Mmmm . . . I love Rugelach!!! Yummo! You know something??? This is a most delicious group to belong to! (And it has the best members too!)



*Marie's Chocolate Buttercream Icing*
Makes about 4 ounces

2 ounces of softened sweet butter (unsalted)
3 1/4 ounces of sifted icing sugar
2 TBS sifted cocoa powder

Put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and beat together with an electric whisk until well mixed and fluffy. Use as required.

PS - Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do for today!!! That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

PPS - Be sure to hop on over to the blog roll to see some of the other glorious creations. I am sure there will be some lovely Halloween versions, and be sure to check out Clara's page for the recipe!

37 comments:

  1. Wow! these are amazing pictures! I never knew you could do so much with chocolate! thank-you!
    I love your blog :)

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  2. Heeee I had to laugh once more Marie at Chocolate Cup cakes for breakfast.I must be an odd one out as I have never been a chocolate lover.Always upsets my stomach after about two hours of eating any.I don't mind a small turkish delight covered in chocolate though Yummy.Your cupcakes do look delicious and yes you are right in that so many people to follow the commenting section becomes a full time occupation LOL!! Carry on the good work Marie.Take Care God Bless Hope Todd is well.Prayers for your father to be continued I hope he is doing fine too. Kath xx

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  3. Wow Marie they look yummy!

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  4. Those look so delicious! I will have to make them for my family. I love the idea of chocolate being a vegetable. I don't think I will pass that little tid bit along to the kids just yet, though. Ha ha!
    Laura

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  5. Oh, my goodness Marie...these cupcakes look like a taste of heaven! The photos alone are sooo decadent and tempting...mmm...Can I come over for tea?! Oh, I wish! :o) And that chocolate is actually a vegetable, I wasn't aware of...but sounds very good to me too ;o) I like your cook book scheme for the month of November and look forward to your cooking from your cookbook collection! Having had the wonderful chance to see your vast cookbook collection, this will be exciting! Happy Day, dear friend ((HUGS))

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  6. Your cupcakes look just divine! I haven't gotten round to making mine yet, but I shall be doing so this morning so I can blog about them this evening. And now I won't feel gulity about eating chocolate every day, cos you said it's ok! :)

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  7. These look amazing! So choclatey and moist! I would definitely eat one for breakfast!

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  8. I will gladly count it as my daily 5. Man, those cupcakes look divine! YUMMY!!!!

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  9. Marie, oh, mmm. That's all I can say. Mmmmm!

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  10. Your cupcakes were all beautiful! I think chocolate cupcakes make the BEST breakfast - no question. X

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  11. I love your blog, read it everyday and sometimes more than once.Even at night if its not a good night for me I will sit up late reading your funny and most interesting writings.As a fellow canadian I must tell you I laughed out loud when you said, "what the hay" I thought to myself, her canadian side is showing Ha ha.I noticed your english side quite often and its so cute.Chocolate for breakfast, thats my kind of girl.You are truly my long distance friend without you even knowing.

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  12. Yours are gorgeous.

    I frosted mine too.

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  13. Aren't these the best? I could eat them for breakfast, for sure! Terrific pictures!

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  14. That's great that you found a recipe you love so much! Mine are safely in the fridge also. Your butter cream frosting looks delicious, but I have the say the ganache was fabulous also.
    Nancy

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  15. I totally agree with your assessment that chocolate is a vegetable. HAHA. Ok seriously. Your hubs hates chocolate? I am not a HUGE chocolate fan but sometimes you just need chocolate you know? My hubs is the opposite. He's a choco-holic! I am so glad you made them anyways and you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for baking with me this week!
    Clara @ iheartfood4thought

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  16. chocolate = veggies! I'll be sure to get 5 a day! :) Your cupcakes look too cute.

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  17. a chocolate a day keeps the doldrums away!!!!!

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  18. well, if chocolate is a vegetable, then i must be one of the healthiest people on earth! :)

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  19. So funny about not being able to find the marshmallow cream! I totally agree that chocolate should be given more credit as a vegetable and as a viable breakfast food. :-)

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  20. LOL! Put chocolate on your list of things to do. That's so funny. I love it.

    And those cupcakes look stupendous. I wish I could eat chocolate!

    I had the most BRILLIANT idea about LFB! I'll e-mail later. You'll be so excited.

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  21. Yours came out great! So glad you liked them :)

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  22. I totally agree that chocolate is one of the food groups! :) Love all the different chocolate "thingys" on the tops. They look delicious!

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  23. beautiful cuppies!! :) glad you liked them. i love all of the different decorations you used, esp the chocolate curls! btw it totally should count as a veggie... although my waist doesn't think so ;)

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  24. And now I want to make these again!!! Your cupcakes look wonderful. And I TOTALLY agree--chocolate will now always be a veggie in my book. :)

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  25. Oh darn, have to cut open another one... :) Too funny, and I like the justification for the health of these.

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  26. oh my, these are beautiful cupcakes..

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  27. Your buttercream looks to die for! Going to have to try that one.

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  28. My dentist says that chocolate is probably better for your teeth than pretzels ... these look wonderful. (And I enjoy your song everytime I come by!)
    Audrey

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  29. Your cupcakes are beautiful. Chocolate for breakfast - why not? I do think that these cupcakes would be improved by a buttercream frosting - I'll have to save your recipe to try.

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  30. these look so delicious, I love chocolate so if you're ever stuck for somone to eat them - pass them my way! :) I bet it's hard knowing there are 6 in the fridge. I love your sprinkles by the way, super cool and look especially tasty!

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  31. But what a great surprise once you discovered the marshmallow ones! They are beautiful. I cannot believe you had the willpower to freeze half of them. We ate all of ours. :)

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  32. Oh! My! Marie!! These look incredible So moist. So tender. So, well, chocolaty!! Oh! My! and the pics say it all. Wish mine had turned out half as well as yours. And cup cakes for breakfast. Sure beats oatmeal. Even with chocolate.

    And if I tell my kiddies that chocolate is a veggie - I will live to regret it.

    Thanks for your blog.

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  33. So can I call myself a health nut instead of a choc-oholic? I love to my "veggies" everyday! :)

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  34. I wish I had one of those beautiful cupcakes right now. I never really cared for chocolate until I had kids, now I crave it all the time! I also didn't know that chocolate is a vegetable. Mmmm... makes me feel less guilty!

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  35. I knew it, I just knew it chocolate is a vegetable. Thanks for clarifying that for us what a relief. The pictures are so inviting. Yum yum yum.

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  36. they look delicious--nice texture, and yummy buttercream! i bet the fluff-soaked ones were amazing!

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  37. So, like if I eat 5 of these a day, can that count as 5 vegs?? hehehe

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