Egg Nests Chocolate Cupcake with Mascarpone Frosting
Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
*1 tablespoon ground flax seed
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
*1 teaspoon decaffeinated coffee
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons safflower oil (used Canola Oil recommended by Kirbie’s Craving)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
Mascarpone Frosting:
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
*a package of M & M’s Chocolate Candies Speckled Eggs, Milk Chocolate
With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form (be careful not to over beat, or cream will be grainy). In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated. Use immediately. Top with M& M’s.
*My son and I wanted to make an Easter cupcake, so I started searching and goggling and I found the inspiration for Egg Nest cupcake from another blogger Edible Substance. I had a mascarpone cheese in the fridge, thinking I have to use it so I found another recipe from Kirbie’s Craving San Diego Food Blog which was originally from Martha’s Stewart. The mascarpone frosting I also found in Martha Stewarts’ website, it’s super delicious you can eat the frosting by itself. I used little less sugar than required.
I added a few ingredients myself, most of the time if I bake I add ground flax seed. Like I mentioned before I doesn’t change the taste or texture but at least you can add something healthy especially when you are cooking for your kids. That’s why I used decaffeinated coffee in this recipe originally one of the bloggers suggested espresso coffee. It worked out fine and made my son very happy camper. enJOY!!!
enJOY with JOY 