Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Following the success of the Vanilla Cupcake recipe, I wanted to see if there were any adaptations that were possible. Turns out drinking chocolate powder makes an excellent substitute for sugar - especially when you replace some of the milk with sour cream! However, I made the mistake of trying to incorporate marshmallows into the batter - they bubbled up and ran down the sides, gluing the patty pans to the tin. Turns out baked marshmallow is approximately the consistancy of tar. Yummy. Apart from that though - delicious! I used a vanilla SMBC as homage to the whipped vanilla cream I love on top of hot chocolate.



You will need:

125 g butter (room temperature)
2/3 C hot chocolate powder (I used Cadbury's as it's gluten free)
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 C self raising gluten free flour
1/4 C milk
1/4 C Sour cream
12 marshmallows (I used neopolitan but you could use vanilla or strawberry)

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line a 12 hole cupcake tin with cupcake cases. Place a marshmallow in each case.
   
2. Cream butter and hot chocolate powder together until pale. Beat in vanilla.
3. Beat in 1 egg. Scrape down the sides. Beat in the second egg and scrape again.
4. Mix in the flour in 3 additions, alternating with the milk and sour cream in 2 additions, mixing continuously.
5. Divide evenly into cupcake cases. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
6. Cool on a wire rack.

Vanilla SMBC

You will need:

3 egg whites
1/2 C sugar
125 g butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a large, clean heatproof bowl, combine the egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan and heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch. Remove the bowl from the saucepan.
2. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg white mixture until it is fluffy, cooled to room temperature, and holds stiff peaks (the mixture should not look dry), about 6 minutes.
3. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the the butter, a few pieces at a time, beating well after each addition. If the icing appears to separate or is very liquid after all the butter is added, continue to beat on high speed until it is smooth and creamy, 3-5 minutes more. Add the vanilla extract scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.