Though I do not remember the last time I made chocolate cup  cakes,  I do remember the first time I made them, and boy it was a disaster!

As Mother’s Day is just around the corner, I would like to share a small story about my first cupcake with my mom.

I was 10 years old and we had to make some sweet treats for a local event (that I do not remember exactly.. I think it was a potluck event organised but I ‘m not sure)

Anyway, so, my mom was making a Thums Up Chocolate cake. (Thums up cola was quite the rage in those days, lol). The beautiful cake aroma had filled the entire kitchen and made me really crave a bite of it. Obviously, my mom couldn’t give me the cake she was making, so I decided to make my own using a small aluminium muffin mold.

I used the same cake batter and turned to use the oven. The size of the oven was small, hence it heated up relatively quickly. It was barely big enough to fit a 9 inch round mold and I was not aware how to use the oven settings.

You are probably thinking that I screwed up the settings and ruined the oven.

But let me tell you  one of the two things from above are true.

I had seen my mom use 180 C mark on the oven to bake her cake so , I did the same.

But my 10 year old mind decided that it takes the same time to make a 9-inch round cake (35 minutes ) as it takes to make a small cupcake! So, poof, my tiny cupcake started to burn and crumble and smoke started coming out of the oven. That cupcake was the last one that the poor oven saw.

Anyway, long story short, my mom salvaged the situation but she could not save the oven.

Even after I ruined her precious oven she did not scold or ground me, (she saw the guilty teared-up look on my face) instead, she taught me the correct way to use it. I don’t think I would have dared to ever bake again if she had scolded or restricted me from using it again. Thanks mom for always being the best!

Of course, for a while after that, I was not allowed to bake or be near the kitchen without close supervision  😛

All in all good times!

But now, I am happy to report that my cupcakes are, moist and rich without any disasters in the kitchen (Yet ;)). I have baked enough  batches of these for a perfect moist delicacy. I love cappuccino and the flavor it imparts when mixed with chocolate.

Also, I love how low maintenance this recipe is! It does not use eggs, standing or electric mixers. Just mix wet ingredients with dry one’s and your cake batter is ready to go in the oven!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 18 minutes
Served: Room Temperature
Makes: 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients

Dry:
1 Cup All purpose flour
1 Cup Sugar
1/3 cup Cocoa Powder
A pinch of Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
Wet:
1/4 Cup Yogurt (Curd)
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Cappuccino (I have used Nescafe Cappuccino  Sachets)*
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Chocolate Ganache
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

*If you can't get your hands on these use regular coffee

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F or 180 C.
2. In a medium bowl sift and mix all dry ingredients– flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and keep aside.
3. Mix Nescafe cappuccino powder in hot water (do not let the water boil) and keep it aside to come to room temperature.
4. In another bowl mix together ingredients listed under wet section.
5. Add the wet ingredients including cappuccino water to dry bowl and mix until the mixture becomes smooth with no lumps.
6. Line a baking tray with cupcake liners and with a help of an ice cream scoop or a spoon fill the cupcake liners 3/4th of the way.
7. Bake them for 15 – 20 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Mine took exactly 18 minutes.
8. For the chocolate ganache, microwave dark chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream for 2 minutes stirring every 20 seconds. You can also use a double boiler technique to melt your chocolate and cream.
9. Dip the cupcakes in the ganache and top them off with sprinkles of your choice. I used green sugar sprinkles and some heart shaped cuties.
10. Serve them with a warm cup of coffee or a tall glass of cold milk!Social Media –>| Facebook | Instagram |