Chocolate Honeycomb Cupcakes Food

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
• Whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk together the buttermilk, coffee, oil, eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl.
• Pour half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until combined. Scrape down the bowl then add the remaining wet ingredients and beat to combine. Scrape down the bowl and paddle. Increase the speed to medium and beat for a full minute.
• Fill the prepared cupcake tins 2/3 of the way full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed, 15 to 18 minutes.
• For the frosting: Melt the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over simmering water in a medium saucepan. Remove from the simmering water and let it cool until room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Beat the butter and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, drizzle in the melted chocolate and beat until completely blended. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla. Increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Decoratively pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.

CHOCOLATE HONEYCOMB CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C and line a 12-hole 2-tablespoon capacity flat-based patty pan with paper cases.
• Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until it is pale and creamy; add the vanilla essence and the egg and beat until the ingredients are well-combined.
• Transfer the mixture to a larger bowl and fold in half the flour and then half the milk/buttermilk; repeat with the remaining flour and milk/buttermilk and stir until the batter is smooth.
• Finely chop 1 chocolate bar and stir into the batter. Three-quarters fill each paper case with batter.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of one of the cupcakes comes out clean; stand the cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
• Making the chocolate icing: Combine the chocolate and cream in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl and microwave, uncovered, on high for 1-2 minutes, stirring every half minute or so with a metal spoon, until smooth.
• Spread icing on the cupcakes: Roughly chop the remaining chocolate bar and sprinkle the chocolate honeycomb mixture over the cupcakes (see Notes below).
• Notes: (1) Violet Crumble bars are honeycomb covered with chocolate. I don't know if they are available outside of Australia. For English chefs, they are similar to Crunchie Bars. (2) Sprinkle the chopped chocolate bar over the cupcakes just prior to serving as once it is exposed to the air, honeycomb can become sticky.

HONEYCOMB CUPCAKES CENTERPIECE

Steps:

• For the almond bees: Fill a piping bag with a very small round tip with the chocolate. Pipe 2 eyes side by side on the rounder end of each almond, followed by 3 crosswise stripes starting in the middle of the almond down to the narrower end. Attach 2 sliced almonds (like wings) to the top chocolate stripe (the one closest to the eyes). Repeat to make 18 almond bees total. Allow to dry.
• For the sugar cookies: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and both sugars in another medium bowl with a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until fully incorporated. Slowly add the flour mixture and continue beating just until the dough comes together, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Divide the dough in half, pat into discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Generously flour a clean work surface. Gently roll out the chilled dough to about 3/8-inch thick. Cut 24 cookies using a 2 1/4-inch hexagon cookie cutter, working quickly so that the dough stays chilled. (If the dough has become too soft, transfer to the refrigerator on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill again for 30 minutes.) Place the cookies on ungreased baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them. Lightly dust off any excess flour with a dry pastry brush. Refrigerate the formed cookies for at least 30 minutes. (Excess dough can be gathered together, pressed into a disc, chilled and rerolled.)
• Bake the cookies until the bottoms are golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. If not using right away, cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
• For the decorative cookie border: To create the honeycomb shapes on your sugar cookies, roll the yellow fondant out and cut out 24 hexagon shapes with a 2 1/4-inch hexagon cutter.
• Place a 1 1/4-inch hexagon cutter in the center of your existing fondant hexagon shape and press. Remove the center piece.
• Thinly frost the cookies with some buttercream. Place a cut-out hexagon fondant border on each cookie.
• Mix the clear and yellow sanding sugars together, and then fill the inner space of the cookies with the mixed sugar. Flip the cookies over to shake out any excess sanding sugar. Reserve the remaining sugar mixture for the cupcakes.
• To assemble the cupcakes: Frost the vanilla mini cupcakes with some buttercream using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Sprinkle with some of the sanding sugar mixture. Garnish 12 of the mini cupcakes with 1 almond bee. Reserve the additional 6 bees to garnish the honeycomb cookie cupcakes.
• Frost the standard-size frangipane cupcakes with some buttercream using a mini offset spatula.
• Dip the outside edges of the frosted cupcakes into the mixed sanding sugar and place the hexagon sugar cookies on top.
• To build the honeycomb structure: Place 14 of the standard-size cupcakes in a hexagonal honeycomb pattern. Stack 7 more cupcakes, making a second tier in the honeycomb pattern, saving 3 cupcakes to put on the top tier.
• Scatter 20 mini cupcakes (including 8 with the almond bees) around the base of the honeycomb structure. Garnish the structure with the remaining 4 mini cupcakes with almond bees. Then arrange the remaining 6 bees on the tops of the hexagon cookies.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F and position a rack in the middle of the oven. Line one 12-cup standard muffin tin or two 24-cup mini-muffin tins with cupcake liners.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
• In another medium bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until light and foamy, about 2 minutes. While beating, gradually pour in the butter and then the vanilla.
• While mixing slowly, add half the dry ingredients. Then add all the milk and follow with the rest of the dry ingredients. Take care not to overmix the batter. Divide the batter evenly in the prepared tin.
• Bake until a tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, rotating the tin about halfway through, 18 to 20 minutes (10 to 12 minutes for minis). Cool the cupcakes on a rack in the tin for 10 minutes, and then remove from the tin. Cool on the rack completely. Decorate as desired.
• Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan that can hold a heatproof stand mixer's bowl above the water.
• Add the sugar, lemon juice, salt and egg whites to the mixing bowl, and whisk together by hand. Set the bowl above the boiling water and whisk until the mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar completely dissolves. Transfer to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat at medium-high speed until cool and the whites hold stiff peaks, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Toss in a couple of chunks of butter at a time, making sure the pieces are incorporated before adding more. After all the butter is added, continue whisking on medium-high speed. The mixture will deflate and appear curdled. Continue whisking until the buttercream comes back together to form a smooth and spreadable consistency. Slowly drizzle in the optional flavoring while beating until smooth and light. (If the frosting is very soft or begins to break, refrigerate until set but still spreadable and then beat until light before using.)
• Chocolate:
• Remove the buttercream from the stand mixer into a large bowl and, in three batches, fold in 6 ounces melted and cooled bittersweet chocolate.
• Citrus:
• Stir in the zest of half a lemon or orange.
• Boozy:
• Stir in 2 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur and 1 tablespoon vodka.
• Pulse 4 tablespoons soft unsalted butter, 1 large egg, 3 tablespoons each almond paste, sugar and cake flour, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract in a food processor until very smooth. Scrape out into a small baking dish and spread into an even layer. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Scoop 12 slightly heaping tablespoonfuls and roll into balls. Return to the freezer until firm again, about 30 minutes. Make batter for Go-To Vanilla Cupcakes (recipe above) and fill the bottom of each liner with a heaping tablespoonful of batter. Place 1 ball of frangipane in the center of each and divide the remaining batter among the liners to top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes.

CHOCOLATE HONEYCOMB

Steps:

• Butter a 20cm square tin. Mix the sugar and golden syrup in a deep saucepan over a gentle heat until the sugar has melted. Try not to let the mixture bubble until the sugar has completely dissolved.
• Turn up the heat a little and simmer until you have an amber coloured caramel (this won't take long). To test if it's ready, turn off the heat and drop a little into a glass of very cold water. If it forms a hard ball, it's ready. If not, turn the heat back on and cook a little more. Then, as quickly as you can, turn off the heat, tip in the bicarb and beat with a wooden spoon until it's disappeared and the mixture is foaming. Scrape into the tin immediately - be careful, the mixture will be very hot.
• Leave the honeycomb in the tin for 1 hr-1 hr 30 mins until hard (it will continue to bubble).
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl over a pan of just simmering water.
• Snap the honeycomb into chunks and dip half of each piece into the chocolate. Drizzle with any remaining chocolate and a pinch of sea salt, if you like. Leave to set in the fridge for 1 hr.

CHOCOLATE TART WITH HONEYCOMB

Steps:

• To make the honeycomb, butter a large baking tray and line with baking parchment. In a large saucepan, heat the golden syrup and caster sugar until the sugar is melted. Increase the heat and boil until it becomes a dark caramel, then remove from the heat and leave to cool for 2 mins. Add the bicarbonate of soda and whisk like mad; the bubbles will be extremely hot, so be careful not to splash any on you. Quickly pour onto the tray to set. Can be done to this stage 2 days ahead.
• Line a 23cm round, loose-bottomed tart tin with the pastry, leaving any extra overhanging the edges. Chill for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line the pastry case with baking parchment, fill with rice or baking beans and bake for 15 mins. Remove the baking beans and parchment, and bake for another 5-7 mins until golden brown. Remove from the oven and turn it down to 140C/120C fan/gas 1.
• To make the filling, put the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Leave to melt without stirring too much. Put the cream in a small pan and bring to the boil. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then pour over the cream, mixing the whole time. Add the chocolate to the cream mixture along with a pinch of salt and mix well to combine.
• Carefully pour the mixture into the tart case, place in the oven and switch it off. After 20 mins, remove and chill for at least 2 hrs to set. Serve the tart in slices scattered with crumbled honeycomb, with crème fraîche on the side.