In honor of National Chocolate Soufflé Day (no kidding), we're sharing our recipe for making these melt-in-your-mouth Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes.
Light in texture yet bold in rich chocolate flavor, these elegant little treats pair beautifully with coffee or a tall, cold glass of milk. They're also a snap to make, so let's get our cupcakes on!
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Cleo Coyle writes two bestselling mystery series with her husband. To learn more, click here. |
☕ A Recipe Note from Cleo
Not much of a baker? Fear not! These souffle cupcakes are easy to make. Just melt the chocolate, whip in the eggs and other ingredients, scoop the batter into your pan and bake. Voila! You have an impressive after-dinner treat.
Our readers may recognize these babies from our 17th Coffeehouse Mystery Shot in the Dark. One of our characters (barista Esther) noshes on these beauties as a source of comfort after gunshots from an armed woman disrupt an otherwise peaceful evening at our beloved Village Blend coffeehouse. Lucky for Esther, a potential hostage
situation is averted by her fast-acting boss, coffeehouse manager and master roaster Clare Cosi, an amateur sleuth who soon finds herself drawn into a dangerous murder mystery.
At least these melt-in-your-mouth little cakes were tasty enough to alleviate Esther's anxieties, while light enough for her to add a wedge of buttery Espresso Shortbread to her plate—and, yes, our recipe for that delectable shortbread is also included in the pages of our culinary adventure.
May you read (and eat) with joy!
~ Cleo
Cleo Coyle's
Chocolate Soufflé
Cupcakes
from Shot in the Dark
A Coffeehouse Mystery
by Cleo Coyle
Makes 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
8 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (60 - 64% cacao)*
*Use bar chocolate, not chips, learn more at the end of this recipe.
8 Tablespoons salted butter, cut into pieces
1-1/4 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten with fork
Directions:
Step 1—Make the batter: Break or chop the bar chocolate into pieces and place them in a large, heat-proof mixing bowl, along with the butter (be sure to cut the butter into pieces, as well).
Place the bowl (of chocolate and butter) over a pan of simmering water, creating a double boiler. Stir with a rubber spatula until the two ingredients have melted together.
If you've never created a double boiler, fear not, it's very easy to do. See my photo above. Be sure to use a heat-proof bowl. The water in the pot below should be simmering (not boiling) and should *not* touch the bottom of the bowl.
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After the chocolate is melted, set the bowl aside for one full hour. Be patient, the chocolate must cool and thicken a bit. When the hour is up, add the lightly beaten eggs. Sift together the confectioners’ sugar, flour, and cornstarch and whisk them in by hand (a little at a time) for a good 60 seconds, until the batter is smoothly blended. The batter will be thick.
Step 2—Prep oven and pan and bake: Preheat your oven to 325° F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. If your liners are uncoated, spray the papers lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Measure 1/4 cup of batter into each of the paper-lined cups. Divide any extra batter evenly among the 12 cups.
Bake for no more than 30 minutes. The cupcake tops should be set (you can touch them lightly to test this). Do not over-bake. They should still be moist inside when they come out of the oven.
Step 2—Prep oven and pan and bake: Preheat your oven to 325° F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. If your liners are uncoated, spray the papers lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Measure 1/4 cup of batter into each of the paper-lined cups. Divide any extra batter evenly among the 12 cups.
Bake for no more than 30 minutes. The cupcake tops should be set (you can touch them lightly to test this). Do not over-bake. They should still be moist inside when they come out of the oven.
Just like a soufflé, these light cupcakes will puff up during baking and fall slightly as they cool. Serve with coffee, espresso, or a cold glass of milk and…eat with joy!
👇
Cleo's Chocolate Note
You can use bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate for this recipe or a combination of the two, as long as it adds up to 8 ounces. I like to use a 4-ounce bar of bittersweet chocolate and a 4-ounce bar of semi-sweet chocolate. Just be sure to use good quality bar chocolate and not chocolate chips for this recipe. Chocolate chips often contain stabilizers, which help them keep their shape but compromise their flavor and make them more difficult to melt than bar chocolate.
☕ Serve with
Cleo's Cold Brew!
👇
Our 20th
Coffeehouse Mystery!
Bulletproof Barista
Pre-order now at:
Bulletproof Baristaincludes a killer menu
of delicious recipes!
Coming October 10th
New Paperback Edition!
Includes a mini guideto honey varietiesand a wonderful menuof delicious recipes...
Click here or on the image abovefor Cleo Coyle's Free IllustratedRecipe Guide to Honey Roasted
Don't Miss Our New
Haunted Bookshop
Mystery...
Jack & Pen Together Again!
"AMAZING AND UNIQUE"
~ Fresh Fiction
Our 20th
Coffeehouse Mystery!
Pre-order now at:
Bulletproof Barista
includes a killer menu
of delicious recipes!
of delicious recipes!
Coming October 10th
New Paperback Edition!
Includes a mini guide
to honey varieties
and a wonderful menu
of delicious recipes...
Click here or on the image above
for Cleo Coyle's Free Illustrated
Recipe Guide to Honey Roasted
Haunted Bookshop
Mystery...
Jack & Pen
Together Again!
~ Fresh Fiction
