Recipe
*for 12 cupcakes
Ingredients for muffin batter:
140g all purpose flour
100g white sugar
35g dark cocoa
1 large egg
120g yogurt/ buttermilk
120ml sunflower oil
50ml hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder (5g)
1 teaspoon baking soda (5g)
1 pinch of salt
Ingredients for meringue:
3 egg whites
150g white sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
Additional:
200g plum jam
Steps to follow:
(1) To prepare the muffin batter, mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix with a whisk until we get a homogeneous mix, so that all the ingredients are later distributed evenly in the dough.
(2) Add the egg, yogurt, oil and vanilla in a large bowl and mix well.
(3) Add the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients mixture and with the help of a whisk mix until you get a smooth batter. Add the hot water over the batter and incorporate it well.
(4) Prepare a muffin tray with muffin liners (baking paper). Add about an ice cream scoop of dough into each baking mold, taking care not to fill them to much to the top, in order for the muffin to have room to rise without spilling out of the mold.
Place the muffin tray in the oven preheated oven at 180C for 23-25 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test.
After muffins are baked, take them out on a metal rack and let them cool at room temperature.
(5) After the muffins have cooled, use a knife to cut a hole in the middle of each muffin. Fill each muffin with a teaspoon of plum jam (or even 2).
(6) We put the egg whites in the bowl of the standing mixer and start mixing them at medium speed. I recommend cleaning the bowl well and wiping it with a napkin soaked in lemon juice or vinegar to remove any traces of grease in order to get a perfect meringue.
When the egg whites become foamy (but not perfectly beaten), start adding the sugar. Add the sugar gradually, spoon by spoon, and wait until it is well incorporated before adding the next spoon.
Finally, add the corn starch and continue mixing until there are no more sugar granules.
Note:
* It is very important to do this in order to get the perfect meringue. Always keep the mixer on medium speed until all the sugar is incorporated.
* Don't overbeat the meringue, but make sure that the sugar has been mixed well in the meringue. For this I recommend taking a little meringue between your fingers and rubbing it a little. If you feel sugar granules, you need to mix it a little more.
(7) Put the meringue in a piping bag of your choice (I chose a wide round piping bag) and decorate the cupcakes. With the help of a burner, we slightly caramelize the meringue.
Store the cupcakes in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in a tightly closed container.
Happy Baking!
Love,
G.
