Slightly delayed Halloween cake, but better late than having to wait until next year? 12 full-bodied cupcakes made with my favorite cake sponge filled with raspberries and ruby chocolate and topped with a black chocolate cream and marshmallow spiderwebs.
SPIDERWEB CUPCAKES
12 CUPCAKES.
MUDCAKECUPCAKES:
30 G NEUTRAL OIL, FX RAPESEED OIL
100 G MINIMUM 55% DARK CHOCOLATE
50 G FRESHLY BREWED COFFEE
100 G FLOUR
1 TSP. BAKING SODA
½ TSK. BAKING POWDER
70 G SUGAR
10 G BLACK COCOA POWDER
10 G REGULAR COCOA POWDER
1 M/L EGG
140 G BUTTERMILK
Heat the oven to 180° celsius.
Line a cupcake tin with paper moulds.
Mix oil, chocolate and coffee in a saucepan and heat it all, stirring, until the chocolate has melted. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Sift in the cocoa to remove any lumps.
Stir the egg into the buttermilk in another bowl.
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the chocolate mixture, stirring.
Then add in the buttermilk until everything is well miced together.
Fill the cupcake tins 3/4 full with batter.
Bake the cupcakes for about. 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
RASPBERRY RUBY CREAM:
60 G CALLEBAUT RUBY CHOCOLATE
25 G RASPBERRIES, BLENDED TO A PUREE
25 G HEAVY CREAM
½ TSP VANILLA PASTE
½ TSP LEMON JUICE
OPTIONALLY A LITTLE RED FOOD COLOUR GEL
FRESH RASPBERRIES
Melt the chocolate.
Heat the raspberry puree, cream and vanilla in a saucepan to the boiling point, pour it over the chocolate and fold it togehter with a rubber spatula.
Add lemon juice and stir again.
If you want the color deeper and more red, add a little red food colour gel, until you have the desired colour.
Cut a hole in the middle of the cakes and add 1 teaspoon of cream in each hole.
Press a fresh raspberry down into the middle and top it with a little more cream.
BLACK CHOCOLATE CREAM :
170 G SOFTENED BUTTER
250 G ICING SUGAR
50 G BLACK COCOA POWDER
25 G REGULAR COCOA POWDER
½ TSP VANILLA PASTE
1 TBSP. AMARETTO LIQUEUR
Whisk the softened butter light and creamy in a bowl.
Add icing sugar.
Carefully mix in the cocoa and vanilla paste, so that the cocoa does not end up in your face.
Add amaretto and whisk the cream delicious and soft.
Fill a piping bag with a star tip with th cream.
Pipe the cream onto the cupcakes and refrigerate them for about 30 min till the cream is firm.
If the cream is still soft while the spiderwebs are added, the webs will cut through the cream.
MARSHMALLOW SPIDERWEBS:
75 G MARSHMALLOWS
1 TSP WATER
Melt marshmallows and water in a microwave-safe bowl for about 20-30 sec until they start to puff up.
Stir well and let the mixture stand for a few seconds, so you don´t burn your fingers on the hot sugar mixture.
With your fingertips or the prongs of two forks, stretch some of the mixture out and wrap the buttercream in spiderwebs.
Keep the cakes refrigerated, but take them out at least an hour before serving so they can come to roomtemperature and not be too cold and hard.