Choco Burst!

Last September, I attended a supplier's bazaar in Wold trade center. It was a baker's haven! Everything in there was oh so new to me! From cheap baking utensils to ovens to megatron sized mixer to everything! I am used to shopping my baked stuff from Cash & Carry because it is just a few blocks away from where I work and where I lived in. HAHA. So, seeing different brands of sprinkle, chocolates and stuff truly made me teary eyed. Then I told myself I should spend more gasoline and money for some adventures throughout the Metro to find fab baking finds! Na! I'll save that for next year.
I spent over p4,000 there. ha! I don't even dare spend more than 2,500 when shopping for clothes, must mean I truly am inlove with baking! 

See its already December, and despite all my eagerness and well spent money that should have been paid for more important things, I haven't dared touch some of what I bought. And so, I decided to use the Beryl's chocolate for today's baking. See, I'm really used to using cocoa powder when baking chocolate cakes and cupcakes, moreover, I rarely make brownies or crinkles or whatever so I hardly need real block chocolate. 

Beryl's is a Malaysian brand and really yummy! :) and it came in a really affordable price. The supplier sell them in 2kg packages amounting to just almost p800. Quite cheap compared to big ass chocolate brands like callebaut, hershey's, vanhouten and etc etc.. (honestly, I don't know any brands anymore). The supplier is Global Pacific and its is located somewhere in Meralco Ave near SM Megamall. Woo! Why sooo far away from Makati? T_T

So I decided to make chocolate cupcakes with rich chocolate pudding filling topped with whipped chocolate ganache, which I then called Choco Burst for you know, clients? (haha)

I added Goya callets as topper. 

The chocolates were in 62% couverture, so I think they fall in the bittersweet category? Oh my, they just taste perfect!

Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

3/4 cup all-puporse flour

1/4 + 1/8 cup good quality cocoa powder (I use either Bensdorp or Hershey's)

1/4 cup oil

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cornstarch

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/3 cup buttermilk or (milk + 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar)

1/4 cup hot coffee or (1/4 cup water + 1 tsp dark coffee powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

optional* 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven, 160 degrees Celsius.

2. In a bowl, combine the all the dry ingredients together.

3. In another bowl, combine all the wet ingredients together.

4. Then combine dry to wet ingredients and mix on low speed for about 2 minutes.

5. Fill cups about 2/3 full.

6. Bake for about 10 minutes, or when a skewer inserted comes out with few moist crumbs- I always do this to my chocolate cupcakes so the insides stay really moist.

7. Remove cupcakes once released from the oven and cool in a wire rack.

See, that easy! 1 bowl style!

This recipe makes 6 cupcakes only :) 

Chocolate Pudding Recipe

1 cup evaporated milk

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

3 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar, depends, you can go upto 3/4. I like my pudding dark 

2 tbsp or 1/8 cup butter
1/4 tsp black coffee* optional

pinch of salt* optional

vanilla extract*optional

Procedure:

1. Whisk evaporated milk with cornstarch until dissolved.

2. Strain the mixture off the lumps.

3. In a sauce pan, heat the evaporated milk, sugar and chocolate, salt and vanilla extract*.

4. Stir until it thickens, be sure you stir it quickly so you'll not burn it.

5. Once thick, remove from heat and add the butter.

6. Let cool and give it a try. Yum! It will thicken even more once cooled.

7. Once cooled, beat with hand mixer for a few moments.

Again, so easy! :)

Whipped Chocolate Ganache

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp black coffee

Procedure:

1. Heat the cream until it boils, once it starts to boil, remove from heat at once to prevent too much evaporation and burning.

2. Pour the cream to the chocolate but do not stir, just let it melt for about 2 minutes.

3. Stir.

4. Let cool in the fridge for hours.

5. Remove from fridge and whip til stiff peaks form.

Then you're ready to pimp up the cupcakes!

I have this large piping tip which I use to create holes in the middle.

Then afterwards, I use it to pipe swirls to my cupcakes!:)

Once you're done punch holes, fill in the chocolate pudding. Don't go cheap with the pudding, the more the merrier! :)

Yum!

Thanks for dropping by!

xoxo

Stepp