Chocolate Cupcakes with Hazelnut Praline Buttercream – Bake with Grace

Cupcakes are wonderful.

They are a mouthful of delight.

I love to make cupcakes, any flavour and anytime. I think that hazelnuts and chocolate are great friends and I’ve used them in this recipe, to bring out each other’s best qualities.

I use a hot milk sponge in this recipe, don’t make the milk too hot, just enough to melt the butter.  Of course the dry ingredients get sifted at least three times, this incorporates more air. Hot air rises and so your cupcake will rise to become light and airy. Of course beating the eggs and sugar for at least 6 minutes, will also ensure more air in the batter with the same results. Air is good, it is our baking friend.

This will make two dozen cupcakes easily in a standard muffin tin.

Chocolate Cupcakes

250 ml castor sugar

5ml vanilla extract or 3ml vanilla paste

3 eggs

250 ml milk

125g butter

375ml four

60ml cocoa powder

15ml baking powder

Praline Buttercream

60g castor sugar

25 ml water

20g hazelnuts

20g almonds

200g butter

400g icing sugar

30ml milk

To make the cupcakes:

Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake wrappers.

Preheat oven to 180ºC

Place eggs and sugar in a bowl of a counter top beat and beat on high for at least 6 minutes until ribbon stage is achieved.

The eggs should be pale and light.

While the eggs are beating, heat the milk and butter until the butter is just melted. Set aside.

Sift the dry ingredients well.

Turn the mixer down to low and beginning with the dry ingredients, alternate adding milk mixture and dry ingredients until all are well combined. Be careful not to over mix. This over works the gluten and your cupcakes will rise unevenly, usually with a dome.

Using a 60ml measuring cup, fill each cupcake wrapper 3/4 of the way up.

Bake for 12 minutes. If you gently press the top of the cupcake, it should spring back quickly if completely baked.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire cooling rack.

1. Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake wrappers.
2. Preheat oven to 180ºC
3. Place eggs and sugar in a bowl of a counter top beat and beat on high for at least 6 minutes until ribbon stage is achieved.
4. The eggs should be pale and light.
5. While the eggs are beating, heat the milk and butter until the butter is just melted. Set aside.
6. Sift the dry ingredients well.
7. Turn the mixer down to low and beginning with the dry ingredients, alternate adding milk mixture and dry ingredients until all are well combined. Be careful not to over mix. This over works the gluten and your cupcakes will rise unevenly, usually with a dome.
8. Using a 60ml measuring cup, fill each cupcake wrapper 3/4 of the way up.
9. Bake for 12 minutes. If you gently press the top of the cupcake, it should spring back quickly if completely baked.
10. Remove from oven and cool on a wire cooling rack.

 

Hazelnut Praline Buttercream

60g castor sugar

25 ml water

20g hazelnuts

20g almonds

200g butter

400g icing sugar

30ml milk

In a small saucepan, add sugar and water

Dissolve sugar over a low heat, stirring gently with a metal spoon until the liquid is clear.

Add nuts to sugar syrup and allow to boil,until the syrup turns a golden colour. About 4 minutes. Do not stir.

Remove saucepan from the heat and pour syrup and nuts onto a non stick mat or onto a greased baking sheet. Allow to cool completely.

Break into smaller pieces and place in a food processor.

Process until the mixture turns to a consistency of a nut butter. This may take about 5 minutes. Set aside

Place the butter in a large bowl of a countertop mixer, and beat with a ‘K’ beater attachment until soft.

Add icing sugar and continue beating on low until all icing sugar is combined.

Add Praline and mix well.

Add milk slowly until a soft buttercream is achieved. You may not need all the milk.

Place buttercream into an icing bag with a star nozzle ( I use an 885) and pipe a swirl of buttercream onto each cupcake.

I decorated each cupcake with some of extra nut brittle that I didn’t put in the food processor.

Store in an airtight container. They are best enjoyed in the first two days after baking.

It may be worth doubling the praline mixture and storing extra praline in the freezer for the next time you need it. It only takes 30 minutes to defrost. Its fantastic mixed with white ganache to fill macarons.

1. In a small saucepan, add sugar and water
2. Dissolve sugar over a low heat, stirring gently with a metal spoon until the liquid is clear.
3. Add nuts to sugar syrup and allow to boil,until the syrup turns a golden colour.
4. Remove saucepan from the heat and pour syrup and nuts onto a non stick mat or onto a greased baking sheet. Allow to cool completely.
5. Break into smaller pieces and place in a food processor.
6. Process until the mixture turns to a consistency of a nut butter. This may take about 5 minutes. Set aside
7. Place the butter in a large bowl of a countertop mixer, and beat with a ‘K’ beater attachment until soft.
8. Add icing sugar and continue beating on low until all icing sugar is combined.
9. Add Praline and mix well.
10. Add milk slowly until a soft buttercream is achieved. You may not need all the milk.
11. Place buttercream into an icing bag with a star nozzle ( I use an 885) and pipe a swirl of buttercream onto each cupcake.
12. I decorated each cupcake with some of extra nut brittle that I didn’t put in the food processor.
13. Store in an airtight container. They are best enjoyed in the first two days after baking.
14. It may be worth doubling the praline mixture and storing extra praline in the freezer for the next time you need it. It only takes 30 minutes to defrost. Its fantastic mixed with white ganache to fill macarons.