Cupcakes are delight. A luscious and velvety frosting sitting on the top of a tiny moist cake makes a cupcake so special. Add some sprinkles, marzipan flowers or a mere simple edible glitter, and they look so fab. Almost adorable little creatures. They are meant for all the occasions. No fuss about cutting them sharply or serving them. You just need to take one, admire it first and then gobble it down fast. So simple, aren’t they.
Add some booze to them, and you take them to a new high. Those cute thing, which were so kids friendly until now, get turned into something apt for an adult palate. So now you can believe me that they do have a life too. Or rather just believing me, why don’t you go figure that out yourself.Be fair and give them a chance at least, the way I did.
I took some Still Rosé wine from Four Seasons and perked up my dark chocolate cupcakes. The wine which is a blend of Shiraz and Zinfandel grapes having a salmon pink color and the aromas of freshly crushed strawberries and hints of sweet spice, gave the cupcakes a whole new self. This deliciously fruity and off-dry wine very well replaced the delicate and ever praised vanilla. And was astound, that I didn’t miss the vanilla in there. This is a perfect treat for summer, light and crisp.
Recipe Adapted from Rachel Ray (Yields 12 cupcakes)
Ingredients
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
60 gm dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1/4 cup boiling water
100 gm butter, at room temperature
3/4 cups granulated sugar, powdered in food processor
2 large eggs
3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup rosé wine
200 gm mascarpone cheese, {I used homemade. recipe here}
1/4 cup low fat cream
1/2 cup icing sugar
chocolate shaving/curls, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius and line a muffin tray with 12 paper liners.
- In a medium heat proof bowl, combine together cocoa powder and chocolate and boiling water. Whisk until chocolate is melted and well combined.
- In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and pale. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
- Sift in flour, baking powder and salt into the egg mixture and mix until just combined.
- Alternating, add the chocolate mixture and wine in batches, mixing well between each addition, until the batter is smooth.
- Divide among the muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan.
- For the frosting, beat masacarpone, cream and sugar together until creamy.
- Remove the cooled cupcakes from the pan, pipe the icing onto the cupcakes and top with chocolate shavings or curls.