I am a huge cupcake fan. I spent the last two summers in New York and they are absolutely obsessed with cupcakes there, similar to the doughnut obsession in California. When you walk around Manhattan and Brooklyn you don't get very far without seeing displays of cupcakes in bakery windows! That is bakeries dedicated to just cupcakes!
I could get really deep and intense here talking about cupcakes...but I will resist. Essentially, a cupcake is a cake with frosting. The cake and frosting have to be perfect. The cake needs to be sturdy enough to hold a mound of icing but still be light and fluffy. The frosting needs to be creamy and airy and the right consistency so that it can sit proudly, swirled on top of the cake without sliding off.
Ok, so we got that?! Now- let's talk about these Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Cupcakes. Cheesecake Cupcakes I hear you say, I know, ridiculous right? Ridiculously Awesome more like! There are two elements that make these cupcakes-cheesecake cupcakes- a biscuit base and a cream cheese frosting speckled with vanilla beans.
The crunchy biscuits base, the decadent chocolate cake and tangy sweet cream cheese frosting are a match made in heaven. Whoever you make these for, will be silently impressed. Silent because, they will be stuffing their faces!
Ok, I think you should go and make some....like now.
Enjoy,
Holly x
Broken up digestives and melted butter for the cheesecake part...yay,exciting!
1 Tablespoon of cheesecake base per case.
I used a shot glass to even the cheesecake base out...but you could totally use your hands.
Butter, dark chocolate and cocoa- Part 1.
All dried ingredients sieved together...this recipe is super simple!
Vanilla sugar and eggs waiting to be made fluffy...
... fluffed!
Butter, dark chocolate and cocoa- Part 2.
Fluffed eggs and sugar, melted cocoa, butter, chocolate and sieved dried ingredients all getting to know each other!
When the dried ingredients are half mixed in add the 1/2 cup of sour cream.
Mix to a super smooth batter.
Use an ice cream scoop to evenly scoop out the batter.
All ready to be baked.
See the cheesecake base? Cool eh?
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting...mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
Use a palette knife to swirl the frosting.
Creamy Cheesecake Frosting, Light Chocolate Cake, Crunchy Base.
Recipe, Makes 12
Cheesecake Base
10 Digestive Biscuits
70g Unsalted Butter
Bash the biscuits in a bowl with a rolling pin until fine.
Add the melted butter and stir.
Add 1 tablespoon of the cheesecake base to each cupcake case.
Use the base of a shot glass to smooth and push down the base.
Chocolate Cupcake
240g Unsalted Butter, chopped into cubes
60g Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped
60g Good Quality Cocoa
2 Large Eggs
180g Sugar
180g Plain Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Pinch Salt
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
Preheat oven to 175°C and line a 12 cupcake pan with paper cases.
Put chocolate, cocoa and butter into a pot.
Melt and cool slightly.
Sieve together flour, baking powder, soda and salt.
Using a hand held electric whisk, whisk the eggs and sugar until pale, light and fluffy.
With the whisk on low speed, pour in the slightly cooled chocolate mixture until smooth.
Use a spatula to half mix in the flour before adding the sour cream and mixing fully to a smooth batter.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter in evenly on top of the cheesecake bases.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.
Remove from oven and allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely before icing.
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting, Ices 16 Cupcakes
500g Icing Sugar
150g Full Fat Cream Cheese, room temperature
50g Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1 Vanilla Pod, beans scraped out
In the bowl of a food mixer fix with paddle cream together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla beans and 250g icing sugar.
Cream for 3 minutes on high speed.
Add the remaing icing sugar and cream until super smooth and airy.
Frost the cupcakes either with the frosting in a pipig bag or with a palette knife.
This is a TOR...(Totally Original Recipe)