Un-death by Chocolate Cupcakes

Ok so this is it. Amy and my contribution to the Halloween Cupcake competition run by How To Eat a Cupcake and I Heart Cuppycakes. I would say it's my entry but I can't really enter as I'm not in America, but I still wanted to be part of the fun especially given the fact that these two sites were the very first cupcake sites I started looking at!

Ok so our concept was zombies coming out of their graves, Amy was the creative director here and I was the flavour director. The flavour is chocolate mud, with almonds and cherries, filled with cherry and cherry custard, and topped with a rich chocolate ganache laced with cherry liqueur.

Ok well I think we'll start with a picture of the finished product made to look even scarier with some photo manipulation. Hehe I love the hands in this photo.


Ok now I think I'll post the recipe then I'll put the piccies of them being created.

Cupcakes (makes about 15)

• 100g dark chocolate
• 100g butter
• 1/3 cup of water
• 1/2 cup chopped cherries (I used frozen as they were easy to chop)
• 2 Tbsps cherry liqueur
• 1 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1 cup caster sugar
  
• 1 cup plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsps cocoa powder
  
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1/4 cup milk

1. Preheat over to 160 degrees celsius.
2. In pot stir chocolate, butter, water, cherries, cherry liqueur over low heat until chocolate and butter melted and well mixed. Set aside to cool.
   
3. Add ground almonds and caster sugar to large bowl, sift in plain flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder. Stir well.
4. In a medium bowl whisk eggs, and milk.
5. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until mixed.
6. Add the chocolate mixture to the other ingredients gradually stirring well after each addition.
7. Fill cupcake cases 1/2-3/4 fill.
8. Cook until skewer comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Cherry Custard (for filling cupcakes)

• 2 egg yolks (at room temp)
  
• 1/2 cup cherries
• 2 Tbsp cherry liqueur
• 1 Tbsp cherry jam

1. Put cherries, liqueur and jam in a pot and cook until cherries are soft
2. Push as much mixture as you can through a sieve, discard the left over cherry skins and and cherry flesh
3. Whisk egg yolks until smooth
4. Add about half a tablespoon of the cherry liquid to the egg yolks and whisk well.
5. Add some more liquid to the egg yolks and whisk well (maybe a tablespoon this time.
6. Add the egg yolk mixture to the pot and return to the stove on a low heat.
7. Continually stir until the custard becomes thick.

Chocolate Cherry Frosting

• 100g dark chocolate
• 50g butter
• 1/4 cup double cream
• 2 Tbsp cherry liqueur
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
  

1. Put chocolate, butter, cream and liqueur in the microwave for about 60 seconds
2. Stir well
3. Add icing sugar and stir well
4. Let cool until thick enough to spread on cupcakes

Decoration

• Hands and a couple of blades of grass made out of icing and left to harden
• Gravestones made out of white chocolate coloured grey
• Grass made out of sugar and ground almonds coloured green
• Dirt made out of crumbled oreos

To Assemble

1. Cook cupcakes and cool
2. Make custard
   
3. Cut hole in the top of each cupcake fill with a whole cherries and cherry custard
4. Make frosting and ice cupcakes
5. Before icing is set add gravestones, grass, hand and dirt!
   

All lined up waiting to be cooked


And here they are just out of the oven


Mmmm cherry custard


In this case the cherry wasn't on top, but hiding inside


Iced and ready for some graveyard action!


Finished cupcake


My graveyard


xxx
Mindy