Christmas Special # 3: Spiced Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

So, lately, I’ve been ADDICTED to hot chocolate! And why not? Isn’t the weather just PERRRRRFECT to enjoy a nice warm marshmallowy cup of hot chocolate topped with EXTRA whipped cream just so you can own winter like a boss? I don’t think you can ever have too much hot chocolate especially when Christmas is around the corner and if you’re like me, struggling to get your new website all set up! But I’m not going to rant, ramble or complain {well, not today at least!} Christmas is less than 10 days away and I can’t even explain how excited I am! Hopefully, the post on my much awaited Christmas cake will be up on the new blog! Did I tell you I have a bowl of dried fruits soaking in brandy for nearly a month now? So, I’m going to be making a cake from those lovely plumped up dried fruits and other warm spices! Oh yum! But that is another post for another day. For now, can we please, pretty please, focus on these {errr, not the icing I mean!}

I know, I am not the best at piping frosting on cupcakes but after this disastrous attempt at piping, I’m going to practice more to improvise!
But don’t judge these cupcakes solely on my poor icing skills! There’s so much more to these cupcakes and I am pretty sure you’re gonna enjoy it !!!!
So, like I was saying, my addiction to Hot Chocolate got the better of me and I had to transform the lovely warm drink into a cupcake!
I JUST HAD TO!
But, I tried to make this version slightly different from your more popular hot chocolate!
In the spirit of Christmas, I decided to add some warm spices and aromas to the cupcakes!
So, I boiled some milk with a handful of fresh spices {list in the ingredients section}.

And the result was just PHENOMENAL !!!!
Then there were some marshmallow chunks that I stuffed into the cake batter! But whilst they were baking, they just shot up to the top of the cupcakes and got concealed by the icing! But this stretchy ooey gooey warm marshmallow makes so much of a difference too!
Actually, there are many elements that are going to make the difference!
I’ve used a very simple cupcake recipe, almost the basic recipe for your regular chocolate cupcake except that I’ve added spiced milk and marshmallows and 3 different types of melted chocolates!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The icing was supposed to be a very simple whipped cream topping. But I wanted it to look like a Christmas tree enrobed in snow! {epic fail thanks to my piping skills!} So the green section has pistachio butter to lend the icing the lovely faint green colour and the white has popping candy! Isn’t Christmas all about celebration after all?

Spiced Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the Hot chocolate cupcakes:

1. 1.       20 gms white chocolate
2. 2.       20 gms milk chocolate
3. 3.       20 gms dark chocolate
4. 4.       75 gms butter
5. 5.       2 eggs
6. 6.       50 gms sugar
7. 7.       1 tbsp cocoa powder
8. 8.       100 gms self raising flour
9. 9.       75 mls milk boiled containing the following spices
   1. a.      Cinnamon
   2. b.      Star anise
   3. c.       Cardamom
   4. d.      Cloves

 
For the frosting:

1. 1.       1 cup double cream
2. 2.       Sugar {as per taste} *
3. 3.       Pistachio Butter**
4. 4.       Popping Candy

 
*If you use Dairy Free whip topping {I use that one} there is no need to add sugar since it is already sweetened.
** the steps involved in making Pistachio butter are exactly the same as those involved in making WALNUT BUTTER, one of the very first posts on my blog.

Method:

1. >First, prep the milk. Add the spices in the milk and bring to a boil. Keep it aside to cool.
2. In a bowl, cream 60 gms of butter with the sugar. Add in the eggs one by one.
3. Melt the 3 kinds of chocolates with the remaining 15 gms butter and add to the mix.
4. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder.
5. Pour the milk to create a smooth batter.
6. Fill the batter into the moulds to less than half, pop in a marshmallow and cover with more batter.
7. Bake in a preheated oven of 180 degrees C for about 17-18 minutes.
8. Take it out and cool.
9. In the mean time, create the pistachio butter whipping cream and the popping candy whipping cream.
10. To make the pistachio butter, follow the same steps as in Walnut Butter.
11. Whip cream until it gets stiff
12. Take off half the mix in another bowl and add the popping candy.
13. In the other half, add the pistachio butter and some green food colour if needed.
14. Use a double piping bag and select a nozzle of your choice. Pipe on the cooled cupcakes.
15. Top with sliced pistachio.

I hope you will try these and enjoy eating them as much as I enjoyed baking them!
PS: Christmas is almost just a few days away!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!