I wanted to quickly whip up some cupcakes for a family dinner (and also make them Pride themed), and this is what I did! It worked magically. They turned out really moist, and their sweetness was complemented really well by a mildly sweet ermine icing (the icing traditionally made for red velvet cake). I highly recommend trying this recipe if you’re baking for people who would be hyper-critical and question any “non-traditional” adaptations like these super awesome ones made with dates.
Total time (including baking): 40 min. Makes 12 cupcakes (or 6 giant cupcakes).
Materials: 1 mixing bowl; scale; measuring vessels; muffin tin. Missing materials or ingredients? Look here.
Ingredients (Substitutions):
- ⅓ cup oil (I use canola)
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- ⅔ cup very hot water
- 200g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 80g (⅔ cup) all purpose flour
- 65g (½ cup) whole wheat flour
- 50g (½ cup) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- Optional: vanilla extract, espresso powder
- Ermine Icing
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line (or butter) muffin tin.
- In a measuring cup, warm ½ cup buttermilk (or milk with 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice). Whisk in ⅓ cup oil and 1 egg.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together 1 cup (200g) sugar, ⅔ cup (80g) all purpose flour, ½ cup (65g) whole wheat flour, ½ cup (50g) cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp baking soda.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and beat or whisk well.
- Mix in ⅔ cup very hot water. The mixture will be quite runny.
- Pour into muffin tins.
- Bake at 350˚F for ~25 minutes, until cupcake tops are springy to the touch. Do not overcook. As soon as possible, transfer the muffins to a rack. Allow to cool while making icing (if making Ermine Icing, I usually start it while the cupcakes are baking since it requires cooling time too)!
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