Hi! I'm now working from Wordpress. I've spent a great deal of time editing and reorganising this post on Wordpress and it is so much friendlier to read & follow my recipe from there. Click on this link to take you directly to the recipe:
Link to my newest and old recipes, click:
The flavours of banana and coconut with the contrasting textures of soft cake and slightly crunchy coconut flakes makes this cupcake scrumptious. What makes it even better is that surprise of a whole chocolate hazelnut ball within!
I often have a box of chocolate hazelnut balls in my pantry. I don't buy them. I don't have to. I receive them as gifts.
Where I live, Ferrero Rocher, promotes their chocolate hazelnut balls heavily. They are good but they are terrible for my waist line. I am always happy when someone else eats them up before me. Ever wondered why Rocher chocolates are so tasty? They are made by the same company who makes Nutella!
This cupcake was created out of necessity and desperation. Necessity because I am clearing out my pantry. Desperation because I can't afford to eat another Rocher chocolate and everyone else in the house is tired of them at the moment.
So I had to come up with something creative. I also had to clear out my bag of sweetened coconut strips, a packet of coconut milk that was close to expiring and I have so many frozen bananas in my freezer it's insane.
The result of putting these ingredients together is this phenomenally good cupcake. I like how the coconut milk lightens the taste of the bananas which can be overpowering if I had used milk instead.
This is a super good way to use up those Rocher chocolates and have everyone else finish the cupcakes because they are really good!
Valentine's Day is round the corner. I am going to use up all my remaining Rocher chocolates on these cupcakes. I am going to share the love and the calories.
A CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT BALL IN A BANANA COCONUT CUPCAKE
Prep:
|
15 minutes
|
Cook: | 25 minutes |
Inactive: | - |
Level: | Moderately easy |
Makes: | 5 to 6 depending on the size of the cupcake liners |
Oven Temperature: | 360F (180C) |
Can recipe be doubled? | Yes |
Make ahead? | Keeps well on the kitchen counter up to 2 days, longer if refrigerated. |
Just the ingredients
For the batter
3.52oz (100g) unsalted butter
2.64oz (75g) caster sugar
1/2 cup banana (about 1 large banana)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 medium sized egg (1.76oz; 50g without shells)
4.58oz (130g) plain/all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.76oz (25g) sweetened desiccated coconut OR
sugared coconut strips, cut into small shreds
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 Tablespoon yogurt
5 or 6 Ferrero Rocher
For the topping
1.41 oz (40g) strips of sugared coconut strips OR
10 Tablespoons icing sugar
3 teaspoons coconut milk
5 Tablespoons sweetened desiccated coconut
|
For the batter
3.52oz (100g) unsalted butter
2.64oz (75g) caster sugar
1/2 cup banana (about 1 large banana)
1 medium sized egg (1.76oz; 50g without shells)
4.58oz (130g) plain/all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
0.88oz (25g) sweetened desiccated coconut OR
sugared coconut strips, cut into small shreds
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 Tablespoon yogurt
5 or 6 chocolate balls that have a whole hazelnut encased within
Examples: Ferrero Rocher, Lindt Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Lindor Truffles, Perugina Baci
For the topping
1.41oz (40g) strips of sugared coconut strips OR
Coconut icing
10 Tablespoons icing sugar
3 teaspoons coconut milk
5 Tablespoons sweetened desiccated coconut for sprinkling
Method
The batter
You need large cupcake liners. I use either 2.4 x 1.8" (6 x 4.5cm) or 2.7 x 1.9" (6.8 x 4.82cm) (bottom diameter x height). These larger size liners will allow the hazelnut chocolate balls to nestle perfectly in the centre.
You could use slightly smaller sized ones though I have not tried to do so. If you are using smaller cupcake liners, be careful how deep or how far up you decide to rest the chocolate ball. Too low and it might sink. Too high and it might rise up. I recommend using larger size ones as you have more depth to play with.
Before starting, all your ingredients should be at room temperature.
Turn on the oven to 360F (180C) and adjust the oven rack to middle position.
Dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Wet ingredients: Mix the yogurt into the coconut milk. Set aside.
Attach whisk attachment to the beater shaft of your mixer.
With the machine running on medium, add the egg and incorporate for 1 to 2 minutes so that the batter thickens up further.
Remove from the mixer stand and use a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to fully incorporate egg.
Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and fold in gently and quickly into the batter with the spatula or long wide spoon.
Add 1/2 of the wet ingredients and do likewise.
Add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients and incorporate likewise. Do not overmix.
Add the last 1/2 of the wet ingredients and mix in.
Add the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients with the 0.88 oz (25g) sweetened dessicated coconut and incorporate well ensure that there are no flour lumps. Work with a light hand and do not overmix or the cupcakes will be heavy and doughy.
Insert the chocolate ball until the top reaches the top level of the batter. Refer to the picture below. Cover the ball and level it up with 1 Tablespoon of batter. The cupcake liners below measure 2.4 x 1.8" (6 x 4.5cm) and I had used 5.
If you want them flat, only fill them up under 2/3 full.
Bake for 25 minutes. To test for doneness, do not skewer through the centre where the chocolate ball sits but in between the centre and the side.
If the skewer comes out clean, remove and transfer to a cooling rack. Be patient and wait until it completely cools before eating as the chocolate ball is hot!
- Coconut strips
- Coconut icing
Slather on top of the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle the desiccated coconut immediately so that it can adhere.
These would make such an unusual cupcake to gift for Valentine's Day! Don't tell them about the Ferrero Rocher unless of course they are allergic to nuts!
Tips
Boxing cupcakes for gifts
Sometimes, to pretty up the parchment paper, I doodle on them with my edible food pen. The pen ink is made of glycerin, water and food colouring. I bought my pen from a baking supply store but I do see them being sold at better stocked supermarkets.
Gift boxes can be inexpensive and they are often pretty enough that you do not need to dress them up further.
If the only gift boxes you can find are dull and boring looking, choose single coloured boxes instead of patterned ones. This will allow you a neutral canvas to embellish with ribbons and such.
If you do not have the energy or creativity, I have an easier idea.
We all have pen or pens and perhaps even markers in our homes. Use those to work in some squiggles on the outside of the box. Black ink is always a safe colour to use. Keep it simple and don't overdo the artwork. Outlining a few hearts or bubbles is a safe choice.
Write a message on the inside bottom of the gift box. No one really expects that and it amuses them.
Have fun and don't stress too much wondering if it is pretty enough as your recipient isn't expecting a signed masterpiece.
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
A quick and easy Mac And Cheese.
If you had made my delicious chocolate drink you would have had quite a bit of evaporated milk leftover. This is the recipe that will use up that milk.
Never had Mac and Cheese made from a sauce that uses evaporated milk? It makes the sauce silky smooth without the fear of it going grainy and gritty. Look out for the recipe.
OMG! These were insanely yummy! I substituted with gluten-free flour and it worked. Needless to say, these muffins disappeared in no time! Thank you for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I am am glad everyone enjoyed them. Even though I have a new tray of Ferrero Rocher, I am trying not to make more myself as they are hard to resist!
Delete