Chocolate Walnut Cupcakes

As we are heading closer to Christmas, we are gearing up in full spirits to celebrate it. Kitchen stocks are being replenished and the bakewares are out for use. We are making preparations in a big way. Yes, I have also been making grand preparations for the big bake to happen at our home. Recipes have been bookmarked. Fruit soaking in rum will be brought out for the cake. Gingerbread and cookies will emerge from the oven.

On this eve, new purchases have been made. Muffin trays, paper cups, pie dish, tart molds were my recent acquisitions. Ask myself, I know how what a great deal of effort has gone into this chase and hunt for the bakewares that I recently got. Getting the muffin trays, the pie dishes and the tart molds weren't easy at all. They posed a true challenge to buy them in India.

My hunt began with the search for muffin trays. I needed them badly. I had gone through every possible online shopping site, none catered to my needs. I must have gone shop to shop, mall to mall, bakeries to bakeries, almost being thrown around in the ping-pong style. Some promised, but never got back, while other turned to a bemused gaze. To an extent that I did not even spare the local kirana stores or even the cosmetic outlets. Contacted my friends abroad to check if they could help. Also crossed the thought that I may probably have to fly down to a different country to get them! That was the tale of my hunt.

As I was about to give up my search, I came across an outlet, Jamaal's which was recently inaugurated in a mall close to our place. These guys hit my bet right. As I walked into their outlet, I was mystified to see the wide range of baking stuffs, kitchen items, cooking gears, crockery sets, etc., all that would satisfy the wants of modern kitchen homes. I managed to grab a few stuffs like the muffin tray and pie dish from them, all costing me a bomb as they were mostly imported. Well, did I have any alternate choice? I managed to get tart molds and mini pie dish from a different store and they were great too. I have been chasing them on a spring form pan which I have not been able get my hands on. So that's going to be a long wait. On a lighter note, I was glad that I could collect these just before the Christmas season.

We are now sailing in the Yuletide spirits and gearing for the year end. At this time of the year, there is a great sense of excitement. An year has passed by and it will be a new beginning, a new start, new hopes and new promises. What can be a better way than starting it on a sweet note?

To get into the Christmas temper, I made these decadent chocolate cupcakes over the weekend.

Chocolate Walnut Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter, room temp (50 gm)
1/4 cup sugar (25 gm)
1 large egg, room temp
1 cup sweetened condensed milk (100 gms)
3/4 cup flour (75 gms)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (50 gms)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter with sugar until they are light and fluffy. Beat an egg. Pour in the condensed milk, vanilla and milk. Add this to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix well. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into another bowl and whisk to combine. Add the wet to dry ingredients. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 2/3’s full. Bake these cupcakes for about 25 minutes or until the fork comes out clean.

I drizzled these with a tsp of warm chocolate sauce before serving to add chocolate deepness to it. I do not have a photo captured to show how moist and good the cake was when bitten into it. This is because these were all waiting to be gone by the time I took these photos.

The cake turned up beautifully. These sinful chocolate walnut cupcakes were moist and gooey and every bite into this is a pure pleasure for chocolate lovers. The walnuts added a good deal of crunch to complement the moist sweetness of the cake. This surely makes a good start for Christmas bakes to come ahead!