Vegan Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes With Salted Caramel And Dark Chocolate Buttercream Food

VEGAN CREAM-FILLED CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the chocolate cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Line a 12-cup regular muffin tin with muffin papers, or oil and flour the cups. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, superfine sugar, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup (240 grams) cold water, the oil, and the vanilla. Pour the oil mixture into the flour mixture and mix them together with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth and homogeneous. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin cups, filling the cups about three-quarters full.
• Bake for 18 to 24 minutes, rotating the muffin tin midway through the baking time, until the cupcakes spring back when you touch them lightly in the middle and a cake tester inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool in the muffin tin on a wire rack for about 30 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the tin and let them cool completely directly on the rack.
• While the cupcakes are baking, make the soy ganache and vegan marshmallow.
• For the soy ganache: Chop the chocolate and place in a medium metal or heat-proof glass bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the soy milk until just before it comes to a boil, when small bubbles collect along the sides of the pan. Pour the soy milk over the chocolate and let stand for about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk the chocolate and soy milk together until the chocolate is completely melted and the ganache is smooth.
• Pour the ganache into a small bowl and let it cool to room temperature so that it is cool to the touch but still somewhat liquid. If the ganache firms up too much, rewarm it slightly in the microwave or a bain-marie (see Cook's Note); don't warm it so much that it gets runny.
• For the vegan marshmallow: Place the aquafaba in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until the aquafaba gets foamy and thick. Slowly add the sugar and vanilla and whip on medium-high for 8 to 10 minutes, until the marshmallow is thick and fluffy. It will take a long time to thicken but once it does, it will magically become exactly like meringue. Use immediately.
• To assemble: When the cupcakes are completely cool, use a small teaspoon or a spoon handle to scoop out a divot in the center of each cupcake, about 1 1/2 inches deep and 1 inch wide. Set aside the pieces of cake you take out. Fill each hole with a spoonful of the marshmallow and top with a piece of the saved cake. Use an offset spatula or knife to spread the cupcake tops with the ganache, covering them fully.
• Make a cornet out of parchment paper. A cornet is a small parchment paper cone that you fill with melted chocolate, caramel, or piping icing that you use to write on cakes and cookies. To make a cornet, fold a piece of parchment paper on the diagonal and cut through the fold with a small paring knife so you have two triangles. Position one of the triangles so the longest edge is facing away from you on an angle from lower left to upper right, the shortest edge is on the right, and the middle-length edge is facing down (toward you). Now eyeball the mid-length edge to find the halfway point. Place your left hand at this point and hold it down with your forefinger and thumb. Bend down the top corner, then twist it under so that the point is approximately at the midpoint of the shortest edge and poking out about an inch. You will see the beginning of a cone forming. Slowly roll the parchment down with your right hand while anchoring the opposite tip with your left hand. After you've rolled the whole triangle into a cone, tuck the extended point of the open top inward to hold everything in place.
• Fill the cornet halfway with the melted chocolate (don't overfill or you will end up with a mess) and roll the top of the cornet closed like a tube of toothpaste, making sure to roll the cornet with the seam on the bottom. Snip the point with scissors or cut it off with a small paring knife to make a tiny opening for the filling to come out.
• Draw a decorative swirl across each of the cupcakes. Serve immediately or within a few hours of filling.
• These cupcakes should be eaten the same day they are made.

CHOCOLATE SALTED CARAMEL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 345 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with liners.
• Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. In a small pot over low heat warm up 1 cup water, the butter and espresso. Do not boil! Just melt the butter. Set aside to cool.
• Combine the buttermilk, eggs and coffee mixture in a second bowl. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk until smooth.
• Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cupcakes. If it comes out clean, they are done. Allow to cool.
• For the ganache: In a small pot over low heat, mix the chocolate and cream until combined and smooth. Take off the heat. Add the coffee liqueur if using and mix.
• To assemble: Using a apple corer or a small spoon, scoop a small well halfway through in the center of the cupcakes. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the ganache into the well, as well as brush some over the top of the cupcakes. Fill a pastry bag with piping tip of your choice with Salted Caramel Buttercream. Pipe the buttercream directly on top of the cupcakes. Garnish as you please.
• Slowly heat the cream in a small pot over low heat.
• While heating up the cream, in another pot over medium heat, add one third of the sugar and the salt and mix with a wooden spoon until liquid. Continue to add the remainder of the sugar in one-third increments. Once all the sugar is dissolved, continue to mix the caramel until it reaches a slightly darker brown color.
• Turn off the heat and add the hot cream very slowly in increments while stirring. Be very careful to not burn yourself! Caramel is ready once the cream and caramel are smooth. Transfer to a bowl for cooling. Allow 1 hour to cool at room temperature.
• Add the cooled caramel mixture to a mixing bowl and with a paddle attachment on medium speed, add the butter in increments. Once the buttercream is smooth it is ready to be used.

DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Heat the heavy cream and the butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Place the semisweet chocolate in a 3-quart stainless steel bowl. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth.
• CHOCOLATE MINT XXX'S
• The fantasy begins by placing the chopped chocolates in a medium-size bowl. Heat the cream, sugar, and chopped mint in a 1 1/2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar; bring to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream through a medium-gauge strainer into the bowl of chopped chocolate. Discard the mint. Use a whisk to gently stir until the cream and chocolate come together in a smooth and glistening pool. Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet with sides and use a rubber spatula to spread the chocolate to the edges. Refrigerate for 40 minutes remove the chocolate mint mixture from the refrigerator and transfer it to a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Line a clean baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the mint leaves on the baking sheet. Form the kisses by piping about 1 tablespoon of chocolate mint mixture onto each leaf, creating a spiral conical shape, about 1- inch high for each kiss Refrigerate the kisses for 30 minutes until firm. Store the kisses, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to a hour remove the chocolate mint mixture from the refrigerator and transfer it to a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Line a clean baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the mint leaves on the baking sheet. Form the kisses by piping about 1 tablespoon of chocolate mint mixture onto each leaf, creating a spiral conical shape, about 1- inch high for each kiss. Refrigerate the kisses for 30 minutes until firm. Store the kisses, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.

CARAMEL GANACHE

Steps:

• Whisk 4 ounces chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate into the warm caramel sauce until smooth. Drizzle over vanilla ice cream.

SALTED CARAMEL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 12-hole cake tin with paper cases.
• Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla extract. Briefly mix in the flour until just combined, and stir in the milk until the batter just falls off the beaters.
• Divide the mixture between the cases, leaving about 2 tbsp batter in the bowl. Add a pinch of salt to the caramel sauce if it's not salted caramel, then add ½ tsp to the tops of each cupcake. Use a teaspoon to cover the caramel sauce with the remaining batter. Bake for 15-20 mins until springy and golden. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, make the icing. Beat the butter and half of the icing sugar together, then tip in the remaining icing sugar and whisk vigorously until pale and fluffy. Stir in half of the caramel sauce, then spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a round or star nozzle.
• Pipe swirls of icing on top of the cooled cupcakes. Stir the remaining caramel sauce with a pinch of salt, if unsalted, then use to drizzle over the icing. Sprinkle over a small pinch of sea salt over each, if you like.