Picking a favourite cupcake is like picking your favourite child (or in my case, duck). If I absolutely had to choose though, I think that it might be Choc Hazelnut Cupcakes – at the moment.
This cupcake has been in the works for a long time and I have been waiting for it to be just right before I posted it. Since there is a dollop of sweet, thick hazelnut spread in the centre, the cake has to be light enough to balance it and the icing can’t be too sweet on top of all of that. I think that I have finally got the perfect balance – if I do say so myself.
The hazelnut spread I use is Vego. It was actually the Vego spread that inspired my recipe. If you haven’t tried it yet, I suggest you go right now to your nearest Vego shop (health food shops & Priceline have it amongst others) and get some. It is like Ferrero Rocher in a jar. So delicious!
If you have another hazelnut spread you like or if you are a clever little cookie and make your own, you could use that.
You could use a buttercream icing but I think that the ermine frosting works perfectly with this recipe. Ermine frosting has the perfect amount of sweetness and it is so soft and silky.
I prefer to use the more upright cupcake wrappers in a thin cardboard rather than the traditional wrappers. The reason is that the traditional wrappers can be very fickle about peeling back from the cooked cake. If you undercook slightly they peel. If you keep them in a sealed plastic container, they peel. It doesn’t always happen but with the wrappers than I now use, it never happens and that makes me happy! The other great advantage of these wrappers is that you don’t have to use a special pan. Then just sit on a flat tray and won’t lose their shape.
- CUPCAKES
- 275g self raising flour (9.7oz)
- 70g Cacao
- 265g white sugar (3.5oz)
- ½ tsp bi-carb soda
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flax meal mixed with ⅓ cup water)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1½ cup of almond milk
- 130g melted vegan margarine (3.9oz)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 jar Vego (or similar vegan hazelnut spread)
- Chocolate for decoration (I use a hazelnut chocolate bar)
- ICING – ERMINE FROSTING
- 400g castor sugar
- 90g plain flour
- 50g cacao
- 450ml almond milk
- 450g vegan margarine
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- Pinch Sea salt
- METHOD
- Pre heat oven to 175°C (347°F)
- CAKE
- Add all dry ingredients (except flax) to a large mixing bowl and mix well.
- Pour melted margarine and milk into mix, add vanilla and beat until combined.
- To make the flax egg, mix golden flax and water into a small bowl and mix well. Do this just before you add it to the cake batter otherwise it becomes too thick.
- Beat until all combined – don’t over beat.
- Using an ice-cream scoop, add one scoop to each cupcake wrapper.
- Bake for 20 minutes but check after 15 minutes as ovens can vary.
- Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack until room temperature.
- Once cooled use a cupcake corer or a knife to cut a hole in the centre of the cupcake. Keep the top part of the core you removed.
- Fill with hazelnut spread and then use the top portion as a cork on top.
- Use your favourite piping nozzle to make a pretty swirl of icing on top of the cupcake. Sprinkle some chopped hazelnuts on top and add a piece of hazelnut chocolate.
- ICING – ERMINE FROSTING
- Add flour and sugar to a medium saucepan and place over medium to high heat.
- Gradually add milk and stir continuously until the mix is a pudding like consistency. I usually add milk in thirds.
- Transfer container and cover with cling wrap – press the wrap onto the pudding mix to make sure that a skin doesn’t form. Cover container with lid and place in fridge until cooled. I will often do this the night before I need it.
- Once cooled, beat butter until smooth.
- Using vegan margarine, the icing will be quite soft. You will still be able to create a soft swirl of icing but if you want to make icing petals, it will be too soft. You can swap half of the margarine for vegetable shortening. I have just started using Snow Crème which I bought from Cake Boss. Apparently you can use Copha by slowly and carefully softening in the microwave. I haven’t tried that though.
- Beat in cacao.
- Gradually add pudding while mixing. Add vanilla and salt & mix until combined.
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