08
Feb
2009
Feb
2009
Queen of Hearts Valentine’s Cupcakes
categories: Cupcakes, Valentine's Day
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These decadent chocolate cupcakes topped with smooth silky buttercream are perfect for showing someone a litlte love this Valentine’s Day.
Devil’s Food Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup hot water
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- vanilla
- 1 small individual apple sauce snack pack unsweetened, about 1/4 cup
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Line baking tins with cupcake liners.
- Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth.
- In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and baking powder.
- Melt butter, and add the sugar. Pour into a mixing bowl.
- With an electric stand mixer on medium-low beat until mixture is cooled, about 5 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
- Add vanilla (as much as you like), then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined.
- Reduce speed to low. Add flour, and apple sauce beating until just combined.
- Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. I use a 1/4 measuring cup to do this.
- Bake, about 18-20 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs.
Even EASIER:
You can easily cut the time down for these cupcakes, if you’ve got your hands full, by starting with a devils food cake mix, and adding a pouch of chocolate fudge pudding to make it a little bit more ‘homemade.’ These are fun to decorate with kids, and can be brought to school for a Valentine’s Day Treat. Let the little ones cut out the heart shapes from the fondant and assemble them on the cupcake themselves!
Vanilla Frosting:
Ingredients:
- Confectioners Sugar ( About 4-5 cups ), Sifted
- Pure Vanilla Extract (I use vanilla my brother brought me back from Mexico, its delicious and in a glass bottle with a cork!)
- 1-2 Tbsp. Milk
- 1 cup butter, softened
Directions:
- Cream butter in mixer, medium for about 2-5 minutes until creamy and fluffy, scraping down bowl half way.
- Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and beat until smooth, Add another 1/2 cup. Add about 2 tsp or more vanilla, to taste.
- Add gradually the remaining sugar and add milk until you reach the consitency you desire. A little bit thicker for piping would be best. If you are going to use a spatula to ice them, you can use a little less sugar and more milk for a thinner consitency to spread on the cupcake.
- Continue to mix on medium until smooth.
Using a large star tip, Ateco #848, pipe frosting onto cupcakes. You can decorate these in any way you desire. Try using different tips for different effects and texture.
Using Fondant Accessories
For garnish you can add heart sprinkles, or, using white Fondant (store bought or homemade MMF) add color using colour gel. Add a small amount of desired color to fondant and knead untill the color is completely incorporated. I suggest wearing latex/rubber gloves for this so you do not dye your whole hand, like I sometimes do. You want it not to look like tie-dye. It should be fully incorporated to create a rich colour.
Using a rolling pin flatten out onto surface. To help it not stick, spread a small amount of cornstarch onto the counter. I dust mine over it straight from the box. Using cookie cutters, cut out different sized heart shapes and allow to dry on counter while you bake/frost cupcakes. You can also make these a day ahead and allow them to dry on a flat surface overnight. They will be easier to use once hard.
I made mine before I baked my cupcakes, and once I was finished I placed them in my cupcake courier, and the little fondant hearts started to fold over! They weren’t hard enough yet and began to go soft again once they were covered. So make sure if you are placing them into a covered container, that the hearts are fully hard or else they will wilt, and you will wake up to some broken hearts! Or, alternatively add the hearts to the cupcakes just before serving, so they stay fresh and do not soften up.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
