Swallow This
O & S Chocolate? Yes, please!
Jun 1, 2011
O & S Chocolate? Yes, please! How to use O&S for the best results!
Female ’tude
O&S Chocolate takes the cupcake!
Meet tall, dark, and handsome. Ok, so it’s not your future boyfriend, but a heavenly stand-in. Yes, I’m talking about chocolate, specifically chocolate turned into the most decadent cupcake thanks to the folks over at Olive & Sinclair Chocolate. O&S produces handcrafted chocolates from bean to bar right here in Nashville. Slow-roasted and stone ground in small batches, this chocolate is quite superior. The packaging is as stunning as the chocolate is delicious. I’ve been dying to turn them into cupcakes for months. Good things come to those who wait. I’m proud to introduce my Cinn-Chili Chocolate Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream.
Moist, light, chocolatey cupcakes filled with a rich pudding made from O&S Mexican Style Cinn-Chili chocolate. That sinful combination gets topped with a cayenne-spiked cinnamon buttercream. Picture tall, dark, and handsome with a dangerous spicy streak. This dessert is like the bad boy your mother warned you about. Sweet and unassuming on the outside, but one bite and you’re hooked from that tingle of warmth. Indulgent? Quite. Naughty? I should say so. Go ahead and indulge yourself in this sweet treat. It’s the one time where cheating is perfectly acceptable and I promise I won’t tell.
Cinn-Chili Chocolate Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream
makes 30 cupcakes
Cupcakes
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Pudding
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. sugar
Pinch salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch cayenne
3/4 cups whole milk
1/2 bar (2.75 oz.) Olive & Sinclair Mexican Style Cinn-Chili chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Buttercream
1 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3-4 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cayenne (trust me on this or add gradually to your preferred heat level)
Olive & Sinclair chocolate, optional for garnish
1. For the cupcakes, heat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper baking liners.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Fill cups 2/3 full with batter.
3. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
4. For the pudding, combine the cornstarch, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a larger pot filled with 1 inch of water. Slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides with a heatproof spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients. Place over gently simmering water and stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form.
5. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate. Continue stirring for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the pudding is smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a small bowl and cover, gently pressing a layer of plastic wrap against the surface before refrigerating (this will prevent a skin from forming). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.
6. For the buttercream, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar a 1/2 cup at a time until completely incorporated, adding up to 4 tablespoons of milk when the icing gets too thick. Add vanilla, cinnamon, and cayenne and beat until just combined.
7. Using a small pairing knife, cut out cones from the tops of cupcakes approximately 1 inch in diameter. Discard cut outs. (Or save for a late night snack!) Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of pudding into each cupcake. Pipe buttercream on top, taking care to cover the pudding filling. Top each cupcake with half a square of O&S chocolate.
cupcake recipe courtesy of Hershey’s pudding recipe adapted from Love & Olive Oil buttercream recipe adapted from Fake Ginger .
Male ’tude
Mousse Tracks!
I like chocolate – I mean, who doesn’t, right? Anyway you want to give it to me, I’ll take it – chocolate chip cookies, chocolate ice cream, and chocolate cake! Chocolate is amazing and versatile, whether you are making an ultra luxurious desert to impress that special someone, or just trying to satiate your sweet tooth. Nashville based Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Co. is producing some of the best small batch, artisanal chocolate in the country. With flavors like cinnamon-chili, coffee bean, and salt and pepper, how can you resist?
viveks mousse |
This chocolate mousse recipe is something I come back to again and again. You can put it together in like 15 minutes and doesn’t require any baking! The mousse is light, fluffy, and just melts in your mouth.
It’s amazing served with some whipped cream and berries for a dinner party – and, just between you and me, if you grab a spoon and dig in late night, when no one else is awake, I won’t judge you! Chances are, I’m doing the same thing!
Chocolate Mousse (makes 4 servings)
6 ounces Olive & Sinclair Coffee Bean chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons room temperature
3 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream, cold
Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and over a saucepan that has some simmering water in it (not enough water to touch the bottom of the bowl). Stir the chocolate and butter until melted and remove the bowl from the stove. (Alternatively, heat chocolate and butter in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth.) Once slightly cooled, beat in the egg yolks, one by one, until incorporated.
Whisk the egg whites using an electric beater or stand mixer until soft peaks form. Then add the ¼ cup sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
Beat the heavy cream in a clean, chilled bowl until it begins to thicken. Add the 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until it forms soft peaks.
Lastly, put it all together by gently folding the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Once incorporated fully, fold in the whipped cream until there are no streaks of white left. Have a gentle hand in order to maintain all the air in the mousse – that’s the key to its awesome texture.
Serve in a bowl with some extra whipped cream and some fresh berries.
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