Malted Chocolate Cupcakes and malted ganache

It's time for chocolate again, but experienced with an ingredient that brings back these beautiful childhood memories we all cherish.

I still remember that delicious malted chocolate drink that would get me and my siblings, or any child for that matter, really excited. The chocolate malt powder came in green cans, and my grandma always had at least one on standby in her pantry for us to enjoy mixed with fresh milk! I haven´t seen or had this drink since years now. Last summer upon visiting Andorra I came across a similar brand of malted chocolate and of course I bought some. To my surprise a couple of months ago I saw the same brand in a nearby supermarket, how good is that?

I wanted to use this malted chocolate powder either in a cake or in cupcakes, but finally went for the cupcakes, maybe because they are easier to manage and they always look cute!
So let´s start making those little beauties!

For the cupcakes you need: (7 cupcakes)

• 1 egg room temperature
• 60 g soft butter
• 40 g sugar
• 40 g milk
• 40 g flour
• 20 g cocoa powder
• 20 g melted dark chocolate
• 20 g malted chocolate powder 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• heaping 1/4 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract or paste

First, mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside. Beat the butter and the sugar. I used a hand whisk but you can use an electric mixer. When the mixture is creamy add the egg and mix well. Add the chocolate and the vanilla. Fold in the flour mixture and then the milk.

Fill the cupcake liners, about 2/3 and then bake for about 20 min in a preheated oven (180C).

Once they are baked, immediately remove from the pan, and leave them to cool on a cooling rack.

For the ganache frosting:

• 100 g finely chopped chocolate
• 120 g heavy cream (35%)
• 2 tbsp malted chocolate
• a drop of vanilla essence or paste
• 20 g butter

Add the malted chocolate to the cream and let it simmer on a gentle heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk vigorously until all chocolate melts. Add the butter and vanilla and whisk again. When the ganache has cooled, you can whip it a bit until it becomes a bit fluffy and lighter in color.

Now you´re ready to frost the cupcakes as you wish. I opted for a simple yet beautiful decoration using that delectable frosting.

These cupcakes have an intense chocolate flavor and a "je ne sais quoi" effect thanks to the malted chocolate! 

Coco-choco cupcakes!

Dark, fudgy and sweet

The weather is still acting up here in Madrid, from a hot weekend to a cloudy and cold one. I haven´t had any vacation time for more than 6 months, and I still have to wait a bit. I am really longing for long days on the beach doing nothing and just enjoy everything that the seaside offers. So until then, I have to keep myself busy and indulge myself every now an then with a sweet treat, until I can finally escape the hectic city life.
We all know how uplifting chocolate can be, so I wanted to do a dessert with chocolate but flavored with an ingredient that denotes warmth, sandy beaches and vacation times, and what better than coconut to deliver just that.

The batter will make around 7 cupcakes

Of course, the recipe I developed is easy and relies on ingredients you are most likely to have in your pantry. To complement the cupcakes, the frosting was also a breeze to make.
The end result of my work: fugdy coco-choco cupcakes with a pronounced chocolate flavor that goes so well with the refreshing taste of coconuts. The perfect dessert after a long and hard day at work.

Now let´s see what you need for these cute and delicious cupcakes!

Baked and waiting to be frosted

For the batter you need: (makes 7)

• 1 egg
• 60 g  flour
• 10 g cocoa powder
• 70 g soft butter
• 65 g vanilla sugar
• 3 g baking powder
• dash of salt
• 30 g melted and cooled chocolate
• 70 ml coconut milk
• 3 to 4 tbsp shredded coconut and lightly toasted (if you wish more intense flavor)
• tsp of coffee liquor (or just use vanilla essence)

Combine the dry ingredients and sift them. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar, once well combined add the egg with the liquor, mix till well blended. Add the chocolate and mix again, when all combined, turn off the mixer, add the flour and fold into the batter. Add the coconut then the coconut milk. 

Fill the cupcakes cases about half way, pop them in a preheated oven (180C) and bake for about 20 minutes. 

Chocolate and butter frosting:

• 100 g condensed milk
• 100 g soft butter
• 20 to 40 g sifted cocoa powder (depends on how chocolaty you want the frosting)
• 20 g coconut cream (it´s the cream you find when you open the can of the coconut milk)

Be generous with the frosting

This recipe has been used by my family for as long as I can remember using frosting on cakes and Christmas logs, it is so easy to make and delicious. You just need to combine the milk, butter and coconut and mix until well combined, start adding the cocoa powder, mix well until you have a fluffy mixture. Leave it in the fridge for about half an hour before using.

Decorate with few coconut shavings

Now you can frost your cooled cupcakes, I added freshly shaved coconut to decorate and add more flavor. Enjoy!

Enjoy these cupcakes in any weather and any time