7 Desserts 7 Days- Bounty Chocolate Cupcakes With a Velvety Dark Chocolate Frosting

How could I do a blogathon on Valentine's Day desserts and NOT include a cupcake. There was no chance of that. The only trouble was deciding on which cupcake recipe to post and the list was endless. Strawberry cupcakes was my first thought. Then I also wanted to post about an amazing white chocolate, almond and raspberry cupcake with mascarpone frosting. But I finally settled on this one because of how easy it is to make and the fact that it is slightly unusual.

Bounty is one of my favourite chocolates so the thought of it in a cupcake form had me excited. If you do a google search on this though, barely any hits will come up with this type of cupcake flavour which really surprises me. What's their not to love about a gooey coconut centre loving wrapped in silky smooth chocolate?

But I wish I could say that I caame up with this novel idea. A few months back, I did a few cooking lessons in Tanzania with a lovely lady I call Naju Aunty. She has a catering business and teaches one to one classes as well. When I saw this cake on the menu, I was beyond thrilled. I used her filling recipe to a T but changed the chocolate cupcake part as I feel mine is much easier to make and is more moist. The chocolate part of this recipe is actually my Moist One Bowl Chocolate Cake recipe. With regards to the filling, the key is to fold in the dessicated coconut into the filling just before it's time to put it into the muffine tray- or you'll be left with a soggy deflated mess.

The frosting for this cupcake is smooth and velvety melt in your mouth- and so it should be with the amount of chocolate in it.  Its hard to tell from the photos as I put them in the fridge to set (not a good idea!) but once they were back to room temprature, it has a beautiful sheen to it. A light garnish with coconut flakes would be perfect but I had none left
.

Tomorrow's post is going to be full of passion....literally! Stay tuned! And if you haven't yet taken part in the fabulous worldwide giveaway currently running on the blog, all you have to do is go here.

Bounty Chocolate Cupcakes With a Velvety Dark Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup +2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup hot brewed coffee

1 egg

For the filling:

2 eggs

2 tbs water

6 tbs icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cup sweetened dessicated coconut

For the frosting (from Martha Stewart):

1/4 cup + 1/2 tbs Dutch processed cocoa powder

1/4 cup + 1/2 tbs boiling water

2 1/4 sticks butter, room temperature

1/3 cup icing sugar, sifted

pinch of salt

340 gms semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Directions:

Preheat oven to 175 degrees Centigrade and put liners into your muffin tray. In a bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. Create a well in the centre and add all the rest of the ingredients except coffee. Mix well until combined and then add coffee. Mix once again.

To make the filling, beat the eggs and water using the wire whip in your stand mixer until light and foamy. Add the icing sugar, vanilla and baking powder and whip until combined. Add the dessicated coconut just before you want to add the filling to your muffin liners.

Pour the cake batter into your muffin liner until 1/3 full, add 1 tablespoon of the filling mixture followed by a little more of the cake batter. Your liner should be at least 2/3 full. Bake in the oven for 20-23 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

To make the frosting, mix the cocoa and water until well combined. Beat the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add the cooled chocolate and cocoa mix. Scrape the sides of the bowl if needed. I put the frosting in the fridge for 5 minutes so it hardened enough for me to frost.

This recipe will make 14 cupcakes.