Taste: ****1/2| Presentation: ****
I think you will all be as impressed as I am at how this recipe turned out (is that a bad way to introduce a cupcake?). Inspired by this week's Chili Cook-Off, these spicy chocolate cupcakes were made using black beans in place of flour AND contain no butter! Nervous as to what would result upon baking, I allowed the final result to be dictated by how the cakes baked. Having cratered upon cooling, I decided to treat them as bowls in which I added a light chocolate mousse which I feel compliments the heaviness of the beans in the cake. I topped each one off with a dash of cayenne and semi sweet crumbs.
I think you will all be as impressed as I am at how this recipe turned out (is that a bad way to introduce a cupcake?). Inspired by this week's Chili Cook-Off, these spicy chocolate cupcakes were made using black beans in place of flour AND contain no butter! Nervous as to what would result upon baking, I allowed the final result to be dictated by how the cakes baked. Having cratered upon cooling, I decided to treat them as bowls in which I added a light chocolate mousse which I feel compliments the heaviness of the beans in the cake. I topped each one off with a dash of cayenne and semi sweet crumbs.
The Panel:
The judges unanimously agreed that the use of unconventional ingredients produced a surprisingly delicious result. The cakes were very chocolatey and moist. The light, chocolate mousse tasted great (like a 'Wendy's' frosty) but deterred from the presentation as it was melting over the sides of the cake appearing rather sloppy. Some mentioned that is was spiced just right while the usually culprits would have preferred a little more bite. The addition of chocolate chips was well received as they added to the richness of the cakes.
Glameow: "Love the cayenne! The taste was a total fiesta in my mouth."
Kitchen Kahuna: "Reminded me of chocolate lava cake, which is one of my favorite desserts."
Eatfreak: "The cake is "solid" and you didn't even use flour or butter - What?!"
My comments:
I was thoroughly surprised at the end result of this recipe. One of the interesting facts about the baking process was how high the cakes rose mid-bake, but then ow deflated they were once fully cooked, leaving slight craters in the center of the cakes. I will most certainly be recreating these little treats but will be considering the following when doing so: the cakes were very fragile and the use of liners is highly recommended; also, the mousse frosting requires tweaking as mine had more of a whipped cream texture.
The judges unanimously agreed that the use of unconventional ingredients produced a surprisingly delicious result. The cakes were very chocolatey and moist. The light, chocolate mousse tasted great (like a 'Wendy's' frosty) but deterred from the presentation as it was melting over the sides of the cake appearing rather sloppy. Some mentioned that is was spiced just right while the usually culprits would have preferred a little more bite. The addition of chocolate chips was well received as they added to the richness of the cakes.
Glameow: "Love the cayenne! The taste was a total fiesta in my mouth."
Kitchen Kahuna: "Reminded me of chocolate lava cake, which is one of my favorite desserts."
Eatfreak: "The cake is "solid" and you didn't even use flour or butter - What?!"
My comments:
I was thoroughly surprised at the end result of this recipe. One of the interesting facts about the baking process was how high the cakes rose mid-bake, but then ow deflated they were once fully cooked, leaving slight craters in the center of the cakes. I will most certainly be recreating these little treats but will be considering the following when doing so: the cakes were very fragile and the use of liners is highly recommended; also, the mousse frosting requires tweaking as mine had more of a whipped cream texture.