After Eight Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Who doesn't like mint and chocolate? This recipe tries to copy the 'after eight' mint, with the dark chocolate cake, and the secret mint fondant filling inside. Not really sure what to say about quantity though, for me it made 24 mini muffins and 4 regular ones. 

Ingredients

For the Sponge

50g Dark Cooking Chocolate

123g Butter

113g Sugar

2 Eggs, Beaten

50g Self-Raising Flour

1.5 tbsp Cocoa Powder

Pinch of Salt

Mint Filling

100g Icing Sugar

3/4tsp Peppermint Extract

Some Water

Mint Buttercream

60g Butter, Soft

250g Icing Sugar

1/2tsp Peppermint Extract

1/2tsp Vanilla Extract

Some Milk

Green Food Colouring

A few thin mint chocolate crisps

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/fan 160C/Gas 4. Line/Grease a mini muffin or regular muffin tin. Put the chocolate and butter into a bain-marie and melt, stirring throughout. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Pour into a mixing bowl and leave to cool for 10 minutes. 

2. Beat the mix with a handheld or freestanding mixer for about 3 minutes, or until much lighter in colour, and gradually add the beaten eggs, beating well inbetween each addition for about 10 seconds. Sift in the dry ingredients and fold in until well incorporated. 

3. Fill the holes of the tins 3/4 of the way with mix, and place in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. They should have a brownie-like texture. In the oven they will rise, and then fall, so don't be alarmed if they do so. Place on a wire rack to cool. 

4. Whilst they are cooling, make the fondant filling. Mix the icing sugar, 1tbsp water and peppermint extract with a whisk until blended, then add about 1/2 tbsp more water and whisk until well incorporated. You are looking for a thick liquid texture. 

5. Once the cakes are fully cooled, using a knife, and not cutting too deep, cut a cylinder out of the top of a cupcake, and fill with fondant filling. Place the cylinder back in to the cupcake and set aside. Do the same for all.

6. For the icing, mix the sugar and soft butter together, then add the flavourings. Add 1 tbsp milk, and use a handheld whisk to bring it all together. Add another as much milk as necessary to form a quite thick icing, mixing inbetween additions, and add food colouring slowly to reach your desired colour. Pipe onto the cupcakes with a star nozzle. 

7. Cut the chocolate crisps into shards or rectangles, and stick on the top of the cake. 

Enjoy :)

Double Chocolate Gateau with Lime Cream and Chocolate Ganache

This recipe is originally by Gordon Ramsey found in the BBC Good Food magazine (which my mum has old copies of stashed away - my goldmine), which I have altered in certain places such as the topping. My recipe for the chocolate curls was found in my trusty Chocolate Bible by Christine McFadden and Christine France. For a teenager like myself it takes a lot of stress - you may have to try out the ganache a few times as it separates easily. Keep clear of your mother for this one - the mess caused mine a bit of a head ache.

Ingredients:

120g Dark Chocolate

5 Eggs, Separated

220g Caster Sugar

200g Butter, Softened

90g Plain Flour, Sifted

Filling:

284ml Pot of Double Cream

200g Pot of Half Fat Creme Fraiche

Grated Zest of 2 Limes

Ganache:

150g Dark Chocolate

142ml Pot of Double Cream

25g Grated Dark and White Chocolate

Curls:

100g Dark Chocolate

4tsp White Vegetable Fat (Margarine)

Recipe:

1. Grease and dust a 24cm cake tin. Heat oven to 160C/gas 3. Melt 120g dark chocolate. Cool for 5 mins. Beat in yolks. In a bowl, beat the butter and 100g sugar until soft and creamy. Mix in the melted chocolate and yolks.

2. Whisk the egg whites to firm peaks then beat in remaining 120g of sugar in 3 batches and continue whisking until stiff. Beat a third of the meringue into the chocolate mix. Then gently fold in alternate spoonfulls of flour and remaining meringue.

3. Spoon into tin and bake for 40-45 minutes. Test center with metal skewer, it should come out clean. Remove, cool for 10 minutes, before turning it out of the tin. When cooled completely, cut in half carefully with large serrated knife.

4. To make filling: in a bowl beat the double cream until thickened, then mix in the creme fraiche and zest. 

5. Spread one half of the cake with all the zesty cream and sandwich together with the other half.

6. To make the ganache icing: break up the chocolate into a pan and add the double cream. Melt over the lowest heat, stir continuously until smooth. Then cool and pour over cake. 

7. Spread icing evenly over the top of the cake and around the sides using a palette knife. While the icing sets, sprinkle the grated chocolate on top and around the sides. 

8. Making the curls: Melt 100g of chocolate with 4 tsps of white vegetable fat and pour into a lined ramekin. Put in fridge to set.

9. Remove chocolate from ramekin and use a swivel-bladed peeler to produce short, chunky curls.

10. Once the icing has set, place a large ring cutter in the center of the cake and fill with chocolate curls. Carefully remove the ring and allow the curls to cascade gently out.