Sugar Free Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes with Sugar Free Frosting

A rich chocolate cupcake, with a thick and fudgy chocolatey butter-cream with a crumbly sweet texture. Mmmmmm
Oh, and HAPPY NATIONAL CUPCAKE WEEK! So I thought I get you started with something that won't burst your belly...

While on one of my crusades to loose weight, I wanted to enjoy the tastes that I loved, without losing the flavour. So I came across the recipe online and just had to try it myself.I amended it slightly just to make them perfect. These are perfect if you're trying to cut out sugar, as these use Splendor as an alternative so can be classed as completely sugar free. However, the manufactured sugar has a slight aftertaste, so if you are able to eat a small amount of sugar, I would suggest adding a tablespoon or two to the cake mix, just so the cakes are sweeter and even more gorgeous.

Ingredients; (Makes 10-12 cakes)

For the Cake Mix;

• 60g unsweetened cocoa
• 125ml boiling water
• 150g sifted cake flour (sift, then measure) To make this Use Plain flour. Measure it out, and then remove 3 tbsp and replace with 3 tbsp Cornflour
• 25g granulated Splenda
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 175g butter, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 60ml whole milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp Caster Sugar (optional but it helps to remove the slight aftertaste of Splender)

For the Frosting;

• 60g unsweetened chocolate (Good quality)
• 80ml heavy whipping cream
• 60g butter, softened
• 4 tbsp Splenda (6 small packets)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp chocolate extract or strong prepared coffee
• Gold Edible Glitter (optional)

Method;

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4 / 350'F / 180'C, and line a muffin tin with cases. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa and boiling water until the mixture is smooth, and put to the side. In another bowl, combine the flour, Splenda, optional sugar, baking soda and salt. Add butter and mix until the mixture is crumbly in texture. Into a separate bowl put the eggs, milk, cocoa mixture and the vanilla essence. Put a third of this mixture in with the floured mixture and combine together, with an electric mixer on the slowest setting. After it appears to be mixed, increase the speed to medium and beat for a further 30 seconds. Use a spoon to scrape the mixture down to the bottom of the bowl. Add another third and mix in like the last. Then repeat again until all the wet mixture has been added. Using a spoon or an ice cream scoop, put the mixture into the cake cases. Bake for about 18-20 minutes until you can insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean. They will looked cracked when cooked but this is normal. Place on a wire rack and let them cool completely. 

While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting. In a glass jug or cup heat the chocolate in a microwave in 30 second bursts (it took me 3 times to do this) then stir with a spoon until no lumps remain. Put into a larger glass bowl and add the cream into the chocolate, whisking as you go. Use and electric mixer and beat on a medium speed and then add the butter, Splenda, cocoa, vanilla and chocolate or coffee extract. Beat until flffy and smooth, which takes a few minutes. Either spread the frosting directly onto the cakes or put in a piping bag and pipe onto the cupcakes. If you're piping on the icing, you may only cover around 7 of the cakes, so save a bit to spread over the last ones. If the mixture doesn't easily pipe (although mine was fine) then you can refrigerate the mixture for about 25 minutes to allow it to stiffen up a bit. Add the glitter if you wish, as it makes everything better :D

Eat the day you make them, as they don't keep too well, but I'm sure that won't be a problem. As always, Enjoy!

Making the chocolate mix with the cocoa and boiling water

Measuring out the ingredients in my awesome all-measures jug

This is the Flour, Spenda, baking soda and salt mix. 

Mixing everything together in the bowl

Adding the room temp butter...

Cream them together using the 'scraping' technique and making small butter lumps with your spoon until everything is mixed together

It should look like this, with everything combined

Add the rest of the ingredients to the cocoa mix

Whisking it until smooth..

Add a third at a time and mixing (with an electric mixer)

After the first third it should start to look like this

Adding the last third, the mixture should be pretty chocolaty now :)

It should look something like this..

Spooning the mix into the cases

Once all the cases are filled..

The cupcakes will look cracked, but have to fear, Esther is here! (along with a large dollop of frosting)

Just letting them cool before deco time

Making the frosting, I had quite a bit of chocolate left over from the Chocolate truffles (also on here) and so decided just to use that :)

It should start to melt nicely after the microwave bursts, but feel free to taste now, obviously

Putting the chocolate in the bowl... I used the same bowl that I used to make the cake mix in

Doesn't this look like a cool guy with big lips? Or is it just me... 

Mix the cream and chocolate together...

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix 

It should look like this. It tastes AWESOME!

Either spread on with a knife or use a piping bag. I used one with a star-shape nozzle but use whatever you like. Oh and don't forget to add the glitter if you like :)

Please Comment and Rate! Thanks for Reading!

Chocolate Brownie Raspberry Pavlova

Rich, creamy and ever so chocolately! This chewy pavlova tastes just like fudgey chocolate brownie encased in crispy, creamy meringue jeweled with fresh raspberries.

Indeed, I was a little unsure about trying out a recipe like this, and really didn't think it would be much of a success, however, Nigella proved me wrong again and it turned out to be a chewy triumph. I was amazed by the taste and would definitely make it again. I altered the recipe slightly, just to my taste but it's still Nigella's through and through. I originally found this recipe due to a spontaneous trip to Lotmead; Pick Your Own to gather some raspberries, but due to the rich crop we were also able to pick brilliant Runner Beans, fresh Corn on the Cob, and picked up some fresh Carrots for the rabbits :D If you would like the location or more information about Lotmead in Swindon go here; http://www.lotmead.co.uk/

In any case, lets crack on!

Ingredients;

• 6 Medium Egg Whites
• 300g Caster Sugar
• 3 tbsp Cocoa Powder, Sieved
• 1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar
• 50g Dark Chocolate, finely chopped

For the Topping;

• 250ml Double Cream
• 250g Raspberries
• 3 tbsp Dark Chocolate, grated 

Nigella used double the cream shown, but I'm not one for overly creamy desserts, and found that 250g was plenty, of course it's personal preference so it's up to you ;)

Method;

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4 / 180'C / 350'F and line a baking tray using baking parchment. Beat the egg white, until the peaks are only just able to hold themselves but are still soft peaks then only a spoonful at a time, beat in the sugar. Be careful, it gets EVERYWHERE, and if that's on a recipe book, you'll never open those pages again. Believe me, I know :L. Keep adding until all the sugar is used and the mixture now has stiff peaks. Add the Cocoa, Vinegar, and Chopped Chocolate. Gently fold the mixture until everything is mixed in. Pile the mixture onto the baking tray in a large circle about 20-25cm across. Smooth over the top and place in the oven, then turn the temperature immediately  down to Gas Mark 2 / 150'C / 300' F and cook for about an hour and 10 mins. It should look crisp on top and in the center it should feel slightly squidgy. Open the oven door and switch it off, allowing the meringue to cool completely. 

Afterwards, whisk the cream until it's nice and thick, but don't go as far as to make it into butter, obviously. Transfer the Pavlova onto a large plate and pile the cream on top. Don't worry if it seems to have cracked in places, this is what should happen.  Add the fresh Raspberries onto and sprinkle the chocolate on top. Use a large spoon to grab yourself a chunk and Bon Appetit!

After  the egg-whites have been whisked and the sugar added

Sprinkling on the Cocoa powder

Gently fold in the ingredients, swirling the spoon around

The peaks should be quite stiff and hold by themselves

As Nigella says "mounding" on the mixture...

Mum was very adamant to show her new antique plate that she wanted the Pavlova on 

Smooth the surface down with a spoon

After cooking, the surface will looked cracked, this is what should happen, and you should be able to see some of the fudgyness inside

I whisked the cream in a jug, much less mess

You don't want the cream any thicker than this, or you'll have butter

Put dollops of the cream on top and smooth with a spoon then add the raspberries and chocolate

Enjoy, and Please Comment!!

Triple Chocolate Chip Goldmine Cookies

A rich gooey cookie with a mix of Milk, White and Dark chocolate Chips, and a sparkle of gold dust filling the cracks that melts in the mouth, which means they are far too amazing to just eat one....

So, I've been dieting for a few days to try and lose some holiday weight, but I admit. I caved. And these seemed to be be the perfect solution. It's a slight variation on a Nigella recipe, and although she prescribes these cookies them for mopping up tears of sadness, they seemed pretty good as the golden sunshine at the end of a long day :D Dead easy to make, I think I'm going to be making more very soon...

Ingredients; (Makes about 12-16 Cookies)

• 125g Dark chocolate minimum 70% cocoa solids
• 150g Plain Flour
• 30g Cocoa powder sieved
• 3/4 tsp Bicarbonate of soda 
• 125g Butter soft
• 75g Light brown sugar
• 50g White sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1 Medium Egg, cold from the fridge
• 150g Milk chocolate chips
• 100g Dark Chocolate Chips
• Gold Dust (optional)

Method
Preheat the oven to gas mark 3/ 170'C / 325'F and melt the 175g of chocolate in a double boiler, or, if you're feeling really lazy, you could do it in the microwave. While the chocolate is melting, put the flour, cocoa and bicarb of Soda into a bowl. Put this to the side, and you don't need to mix. Cream the butter and both the white and brown sugar in another bowl. Now add in the melted chocolate and mix them together. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix. Then add the dry ingredients and stir these with a wooden spoon. Now for the best part, add the chocolate chips to make the best cookie batter ever!!!! Use an ice-cream scoop to gather heaps of mixture and smooth them with a palette knife then put them on a lined baking tray about 6cm apart. DON'T SQUASH THEM!!!! They will melt down themselves :) Cook in the heated oven for about 18-20 minutes. Test them with a knife, and you want them still slightly gooey, so don't wait until no mixture is on the knife. Sprinkle with Gold Dust if desired. Leave to cool for about 5 minutes and feast to you're heart's content!

Add the chocolate in the bowl. I already boiled the water so it didn't take to long to heat up enough in the saucepan

Sieve the Powder to add air and make it mix together better

Make sure the chocolate mixture has no lumps and leave it in the bowl so it doesn't stop melting

Adding all the dry ingredients. You don't need to mix these

Measuring the butter and sugars into a bowl

Cream the butter and sugar by using the spoon to scrape the mixture across the bowl. The continue this motion  until everything is mixed

It should start to look like this

Use another spoon to pour the melted chocolate into the creamed mixture. Use as much of the chocolate as possible

Mix the smooth, runny chocolate with the butter and I dare you not to taste ;)

Add the egg and vanilla. By now you'll have a slightly grainy batter

Mix this in to give this awesome chocolatey deliciousness!!

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and give them a good mix

This should give a thick batter to which we will add the chips

This is sooo totally the best bit, adding the chocolate chips!! Woo!

I admit that not all of the 350g went into the cookies, some I believe were misplaced.. I wonder where they went :D

Nigella said that she loved the "clattering of the chips on the side of the bowl" but I was waaay too busy smelling  and maybe tasting the mixture..

Scoop up some of the mixture in an ice-cream scoop and use a palette knife to smooth the mixture into a bit more of a ball shape

If you don't have a 'release' scoop, then use the palette knife to hook the cookiedough onto a lined baking tray

Keep going until all the balls are done. DON'T FLATTEN THEM!! I used two trays

As always, enjoy!! And please comment, I would love to know what you think

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