These tiny dark chocolate cupcakes are a mouthful of bliss. They are easy to make and so amazingly moist and delicious that you might find yourself needing to make double the quantity....
This mixture is a bit like a muffin mixture, where the butter is melted and the ingredients are not mixed too thoroughly. I'm sure what gives them such depth of flavour is the brown sugar and molasses.
That and the fact that the main ingredient is actually chocolate. Yum, yum!
These cupcakes are full of dark chocolate flavour, and are quite sophisticated. I find that in general adults prefer them to children. Certainly my children prefer the chocolate chip cupcake recipe.
I make these dark chocolate cupcakes in tiny cases. I think a full-sized cupcake of this recipe would be too much for most people as part of an afternoon tea.
I have made a full-sized cake out of this. You would need four times the quantity, and two 9" round cake tins. We filled and topped the cake with four times the quantity of topping. Of course, you only need small slices.
It's an amazing cake - especially if you use the chocolate ganache frosting as a topping. I definitely prefer it in small bites like the recipe below.
These cupcakes are based on a recipe by Otto Lenghi, a talented chef based in London. He has written two cookery books that I know of, both of which I can highly recommend.
Level: Easy
Time: Just over an hour to bake and cool.
Makes: 12 small cupcakes
1 egg
60g (4 tablespoons) soured cream
40ml (3 tablespoons) sunflower oil
10ml (2 teaspoons) black treacle
(or black strap molasses)
10g (1/2 tablespoon) unsalted butter
30g (2 tablespoons) caster sugar
30g (2 tablespoons) light muscavado sugar
60g (1/3 cup) plain flour
15g (1 1/2 tablespoons) cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
20g (1/4 cup) ground almonds
100g (1/2 cup) dark chocolate,
cut into small pieces,
or good quality chocolate chips
If you are covering these cupcakes with chocolate ganache frosting (highly recommended!) then you should make the frosting first since it takes up to 2 1/2 hours to reach the right consistency.
Other recommended toppings are fluffy vanilla frosting or chocolate cream cheese frosting, both of which can be made more quickly.
On their own, I love them with Earl Grey tea.
Perfect with chocolate eclairs, ham sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches and green tea on a warm spring day.
As part of a delicious cooler weather afternoon spread, dark chocolate cupcakes are great with soft gingerbread cookies and a selection of finger sandwiches, little jam tarts and a carrot cake.
A nice robust black tea like Earl Grey or English breakfast would go well with a big spread like this. For those avoiding caffeine, I would think of Rooibos.
If you loved this Dark Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe,
you might also enjoy our Vanilla Cupcakes.