This past weekend I decided to bake something for a colleague who was leaving the agency for which I work. She had been a pillar in our clinic for years, and it was hard for our team not to be able to celebrate her. We organized a parade of cars, in true COVID fashion, and while some of us wrote beautiful signs, I just wanted to show my love and appreciation with pastry. So I armed myself with the essentials for safe baking: a scale to measure ingredients and ensure recipe success, and mask and gloves to protect it from contamination.

I decided to bake Chocolate Cupcakes for her and her family. One thing I learned when I had my bakery was that a good cake recipe would work for cupcakes as well. A staple on my bookshelves is a book by Trish Boyle, The Cake Book. Characteristic of her desserts is simplicity combined with balance of flavors, and I have loved and adapted many of her recipes. A month or so ago I made my version of her Sour Cream Chocolate Cake for a birthday cake. It was moist and fluffy, and I thought that I would use it for my Chocolate Cupcakes. This time, though, I opted for American Buttercream instead of Italian Buttercream.

American Buttercream is deliciously creamy, super sweet, and incredibly fluffy, and by far the easiest buttercream to master. It’s just a matter of beating softened butter until it’s fluffy, adding powdered sugar, cream, and a little vanilla and whipping it all together.

Italian buttercream is silky and luscious. A meringue is made with egg whites and sugar. Then sugar syrup cooked to at least the soft ball stage (240°F) is poured into it with the mixer running. This sets the egg whites and forms a stable base for the frosting. Once the meringue is cooled to 80°F (with the mixer running the whole time), soft butter is added, a lump at a time, until the frosting comes together.

I personally prefer Italian Buttercream, and not for the obvious reason. In my opinion it is smooth and less sweet, and it pipes beautifully. Though, knowing that my colleague has teenagers in her family, I thought that the taste of American Buttercream would be more appropriate and familiar.

ENJOY!

Baking in the COVID19 Era II – Gluten-free Chocolate Cupcakes

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Recipe by Simona Gluten-free Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Ingredients

• Chocolate Cupcakes

• 322 g 322 Simona’s Flour Mix – 2 cups and 1 Tablespoon

• 500 g 500 granulated sugar – 2 1/2 cups

• 41 g 41 unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 cup

• 1 1/2 teaspoon 1 1/2 baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon 1/2 salt

• 3 large 3 eggs

• 160 g 160 sour cream – 2/3 cup

• 1 Tablespoon 1 vanilla extract

• 2 Tablespoons 2 glycerin

• 142 g 142 unsalted butter, melted and cooled – 10 Tablespoons

• 160 g 160 vegetable oil – 2/3 cup

• 300 g 300 ice-cold water – 1 1/4 cup

• For the American chocolate buttercream

• 226 g 226 unsalted butter, softened – 1 cup

• 170 g 170 bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled – 1 cup

• 2 Tablespoon 2 milk

• 1 teaspoon 1 vanilla extract

• 300 g 300 confectioners’ sugar – 2 1/2 cups

Directions

• For the chocolate cupcakes
• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two muffin tins with baking cups. 
  In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
  In another medium bowl, whisk the eggs lightly.  Add the sour cream, glycerin and vanilla and whisk until blended.
• Place the cooled butter and vegetable oil in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix together on low speed. Add the cold water and mix to blend. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix on medium-low for 1 minute. Add the egg mixture, and mix for an additional minute or until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
  Bake the cupcakes cakes until they spring back to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool the pans on wire racks for 15 minutes, then invert the cupcakes onto the wire racks, and let them cool completely.
• For the American chocolate buttercream
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add chocolate until just combined. Add milk, vanilla, and sugar; mix on medium until well combined, being careful not to overmix. Frost the cupcakes.

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