To the 5 of you following me, I don't update this as much as I'd like to because I just do not have time to cook lately. I'm currently in the process of building my first home so all my weekends are taken up doing that. Hopefully come August we'll be done and I will update this thing at least once a week.
Anyway, I was watching a DVRed episode of Giada at Home a couple days ago and she made these Mini Chocolate Meringue Cupcakes. I've never done the meringue/egg white beating thing before because it always intimidated me, but it's super simple and the results are amazing. These babies should have DANGER written all over them. I'm pretty sure that I ate 8 of them, all in one sitting ;x The tops get all flaky and meringue-like, and the insides are all moist and chocolatey. I would definitely suggest making them, but at your own risk. Like I said, very dangerous.
Ingreidents: eggs, cake flour, semi-sweet chocolate chunks, vegetable oil, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and cocoa powder.
Start by melting 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chunks (or chips) using a double boiler. (Does my chocolate look old? Oops.)
While your chocolate is melting, separate your eggs. 3 egg whites in one bowl...
...and 2 egg yolks in another.
To the egg yolks add 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt...
...and mix together.
By this time your chocolate should be melted. Set aside to cool so that when you add it to your egg yolk mixture, it doesn't scramble the eggs.
While that's cooling, beat your egg whites. When they're sorta fluffy, slowly add in 1/3 cup sugar. If you don't add it slowly while beating, your egg whites will drop and loose all the air incorporated.
Keep beating until it gets all fluffy, doubles in size, and forms stiff peaks.
Add the cooled melted chocolate to the egg yolk mixture and stir.
Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture a little at a time. I did it in thirds.
Be gentle when folding in the egg whites, you don't want them to deflate.
Next add 1/4 cup sifted cake flour to the chocolate mixture and fold into batter.
Fill mini cupcake liners and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. (I had one hell of a time with these cupcake liners for some reason. This part took the longest, trying to fill them up while they curled and didn't want to stay down in the pan.)
Straight out of the oven they were all pretty.
And then they fell and got all ugly.
I topped with sifted powdered sugar.
And then drizzled melted chocolate over the tops.
Try not to eat all 24 in one sitting.
Mini Chocolate Meringue Cupcakes
From an episode of Giada at Home
Ingredients for Cupcakes:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks/chips
2 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup sugar, divided
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/4 cup cake flour
1. Melt 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks on a double boiler. Set aside to cool.
2. Separate your egg whites in one bowl and your egg yolks in another bowl. To the egg yolks add your cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, oil, and half of the sugar; stir.
3. Beat egg whites until fluffy. Slowly add in the rest of the sugar and beat until you get stiff peaks. Be sure to add the sugar slowly so you don't lose all the air you incorporated.
4. Add the cooled melted chocolate to the egg yolk mixture; stir.
5. Add the egg whites a little at time to the chocolate mixture and fold into batter.
5. Add 1/4 cup sifted cake flour and fold into batter. Be gentle so you don't deflate the egg whites.
6. Fill 24 mini cupcake liners with batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 12 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack before topping.
Ingredients for Topping:
powdered sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1. Sift powdered sugar over cooled cupcakes.
2. Melt chocolate and vegetable oil together using a double boiler. Use a fork to drizzle chocolate over cupcakes. Let the chocolate cool and harden.
