A trophy of chocolate cakes

I used to work with Dr Colin. Colin is a quietly competitive sort who has been trying to beat me at a particularly popular word-making game. He has been trying to beat me for...

Quite.

Some.

Time.

After countless games – seriously, we didn’t count – he broke that final frontier and, because it was a momentous occasion, I decided that there should be a just reward of cakes. Cakes with tinted buttercream and chocolate writing.


And of course what is better than a cake is multiple miniature cakes, and ones which are decorated with buttercream – bite-sized nuggets of fun that you can devour in one mouthful. Once you remove the frilly paper cases, that is, but there is no stipulation that you must use them in the first place.

I was going for the cute factor by using these mini-cupcake cases which have cupcakes printed on them – purchased purely for their cute factor – but the chocolaty cake made it a little dark for the cutesy cupcake pattern to be appreciated. So my recommendation is to use bright-coloured or foil cases or just don’t bother at all.

The cakes are made from a recipe of one Domestic Goddess that doesn’t call for a great deal of chocolate. The Alter Eco Dark Velvet chocolate which I used is quite fruity in flavour and soft and fudgy in texture to eat on its own, and is different to other dark chocolates I’ve tried which break with more of a snap. It’s not as intensely dark as other dark chocolates either, although it still results in a rich chocolaty cake. A bonus is that it is both organic and certified Fair Trade.


The batter is light in colour when whipped up, especially in my case where a lack of muscovado sugar made for a substitution with plain ol’ brown sugar instead. The cakes darken upon baking and, like most, become denser and damper when left for a bit of a covered snooze overnight. They’re not overly sweet nor rich, again due to the sugar substitution, which makes them the perfect vehicle for being topped with icing or chocolate ganache. If you choose to have these plain then I strongly suggest adding a small amount of caster sugar, as well as substituting cocoa powder for some of the flour.


Decorate the cakes how you like, spell out a message, or leave them nude. And as for Colin, congratulations to him but we have some rematching to do!

Chocolate mini-cupcakes (makes 48 or so mini-cupcakes,or  24 cupcakes)
(“Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake” from How to be a domestic goddess, recipe by Nigella Lawson)

Ingredients:
·         225g soft unsalted butter
·        375g dark muscovado sugar (or brown sugar)
·        2 large eggs, beaten
·        1 tsp vanilla extract
·        100g dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
·        200g plain flour
·        1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
·        250mL boiling water

Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line or lightly grease a cupcake or mini-cupcake tray.
  2. Cream together butter and sugar then add eggs and vanilla, beating in well. Fold in the melted chocolate until evenly combined.
  3. Gently add the flour and bicarb soda gradually, alternately with the boiling water until the mixture is fairly runny.
  4. Divide between cavities of the tray and bake 15-18 minutes for mini-cupcakes, and around 30 minutes for cupcakes.
happy cooking!

Mademoiselle Délicieuse received samples of Alter Eco Dark Velvet chocolate of Kristy Sayer.

16 comments:

  1. What a cute cake, haha!
    Good luck with your rematching! :P

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  2. hehe so this is the game you were playing the other day? Love the box of cupcakes and lollies - it looks like it would make the perfect gift!

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  3. What a great way to win! Let him eat his words!

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  4. baha!! i love words with friends! Addicted!! love how you decorated them with TW, TL.. made me smile!

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  5. I love the cupcakes idea :). I gave up on words with friends too many strong opponents :P

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  6. What a thoughtful, cute, but delicious gift.

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  7. This is such a fun idea. Love the fact you have used the theme of the challenge in your cooking. Will have to remember this one! :)

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  8. These cupcakes are so cute!! And they look so yummy and colourful too! You must be pretty good at the game for him to deserve these cupcakes! ;)

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  9. So cute!! I hope Colin was appreciative! :)

    Where did you get the carry box from?

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  10. awww... i wouldnt mind a box *hint*

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  11. Cutest cup cakes and a great way to celebrate a victory. I have never ehard of Alter Eco chocolate before.

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  12. Hey Kristy, rematch is currently on hold while he's overseas holidaying!

    Hey Jacq, YES, that was the fateful game! And what better gift is there than food? =D

    Hey Cassandra, haha, I must remember to tell him that - that I made him eat his words!

    Hey Mary, I love thinking games!

    Hey Julie, so many possibilities of messages with these little cakes =)

    Hey Dumpling Girl, edible gifts are the best, right?

    Hey Julia, think I might be using this idea again for differing messages =p

    Hey Von, colourful, yes - it's the most vibrant icing I've ever made!

    Hey April, haha, Colin loved them! The box I used is actually a standard flat giftbox from newsagencies and department stores.

    Hey Dolly, haha, play a game or two with me and we shall see...

    Hey Sara, it was really good chocolate! Chocolaty without being too dark but with quite a rich, fudgy texture.

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  13. Here's wishing you word luck. My son says ' Mama, make me this cupcakes'! They look wonderful...

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  14. Hey Kitchen Butterfly, haha, your son knows how to flatter me! =p

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  15. I am not sure what is more delicious, the concept or the cakes! Wonderful Post.

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  16. Hey Spencer, I think the concept - you can spell any message you want so the mind boggles at the possibilities!

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