Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Frosting

Chocolate cupcakes with mint frosting, the flavors that just seem to be made for each other. The very moist and oh so chocolate-y cupcakes with the creamy mint frosting seem to just melt in mouth. A very sinful dessert!!

These days I find myself spending a lot of time in the backyard as the weather is so good with this lovely breeze and that beautiful sunshine, I can spend hours and all I need is a good book, my lens & a steaming cup of coffee to accompany. It just happened last week when VK and me were sitting at our backyard and enjoying Strawberry Basil Wine Spiritzer, I had that sudden urge for something chocolate-y and minty we went hunting for mint chocolate but could not find one L. It was then I had decided to bake these gorgeous and so delicious cupcakes.

I was reading this book A Thousand Splendid suns which was a little left to be finished and that wanting for a perfect dessert with coffee and the book made me bake these. I am so happy that I did listen to my instinct and went ahead to bake these. The very moment when VK and kids left for work and school I started with the baking process with the ingredients at the pantry and I have to say these sinful cupcakes came out so moist and baked to perfection. The best part was this so creamy mint frosting it was like eating a mint ice cream. Yes, it felt and tasted like just like a chocolate-y mint ice cream. Got this fabulous recipe of Mint frosting from Sally’s Baking Addiction making a few charges according to my preference.

These perfect little cakes with chocolate and mint flavor is so heavenly and the recipe here is so simple and takes hardly any time to whip these up and that gorgeous color of the frosting make them even more irresistible. The most difficult part for me here was waiting for the cupcakes to cool down so I could frost them. The cupcakes here are very chocolate-y as I’ve added both the dark chocolate and the unsweetened cocoa powder for that intense chocolate flavor. One thing here you need to take care is not to OVERBAKE them else you will end up in dry and crumbly cupcakes. Bake them or anything between 17 – 19 minutes, mine got done in 18 minutes and do a skewer test for the doneness. With that lingering mint in the mouth these gorgeous little cupcakes would make perfect dessert for your dinner parties as the beautiful green color of the icing stands out completely.

And did I share that our anniversary is just round the corner, yes it’s on 5^thof February, VK & me are planning to host a BBQ dinner party for our very close friends. Yes there will be lots of good food, cocktails, desserts and yes lots of great conversation. With charcoal stocked up it time to deck the backyard with some gorgeous linens, my favorite flowers oh I’m so excited. Super delicious Red Snapper Tacos with Chili Lime Mayo, Thai Lime and Coconut Chicken, Spiced Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks, Char roasted red onions, bell peppers, char grilled tomatoes are on the BBQ, there will our favorite chicken biryani and lots of drinks on the floor. And if there is charcoal on fire how can Rum roasted pineapples not be there. Need to plan a lot so I leave you here to enjoy these cupcakes, while I am off to the backyard with a cup of coffee, a cupcake and of course I have to finish reading A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Chocolate Cupcake with Mint Frosting

Chocolate Cupcake with Mint FrostingSharing the recipe for super moist and delicious Chocolate Cupcake with Mint Frosting.

Ingredients for cupcake

95 grams all purpose flour
115 grams unsalted butter
60 grams dark chocolate
100 grams granulated sugar
70 grams light brown sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
120 ml buttermilk
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Mint frosting

230 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
25 ml heavy cream
½ teaspoon mint extract
350 grams powdered sugar
3 drops of green food color

Directions for cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C. Line the muffin pan with cupcake liners and keep aside.
Add the butter and chocolate in a heat proof bowl, melt them using a double boiler. Once melted keep aside to cool.
Take a medium sized bowl and add mix together cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt.
Take a large bowl add eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract and whisk thoroughly until smooth. Next add the cooled butter and chocolate mixture and whisk well till well combined. Now add half of the cocoa flour mixture & half the buttermilk to the wet ingredients and mix gently, repeat by adding the remaining flour mixture and then buttermilk and stir until just combined. DO NOT over mix.
Fill the cupcake liners with the prepared batter till 2/3 rd full and bake for about 17 – 19 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Mine got done in 18 minutes. Keep an eye not to over bake as they would result in dry and crumbly cupcakes which we do not want at any case.
Remove the cupcake from muffin tins and place on wire racks to cool.
While the cupcakes are cooling down let’s make are Mint Frosting.

Directions for Mint Frosting

Using handheld mixer beat butter on medium speed for about a minute or so until smooth and creamy. Next add half the sugar and beat, add more powdered sugar, mint extract, green color, heavy cream and beat on high for about 2 – 3 minutes till you get a thick and creamy frosting.
At this stage if the frosting seems a little thin add more powdered and beat till you get thick frosting which can be piped.
Taste the frosting and add more mint extract if you like your frosting on a more mint-ier side and add more color if desired, for me 3 drops gave that beautiful apple green color. There you have that gorgeous and creamy frosting ready.

Assembling the cupcakes

· Once the cupcakes have cooled down completely and the frosting is ready, frost the cupcakes with mint frosting using a piping bag and top it with chocolate chips or colored sprinklers if desired, which I did not but you can always go ahead.

Enjoy with a steaming cup of coffee and a good book.

Thanks so much,