Around Christmas everyone loves sweets, but I am continously on the search for sweets that are good but not overly trite and Christmassy. Thus, I find myself in a play on words, HO... HO... HO... Everyone loves little Debbie. What is not to love, sweet treats perfectly wrapped in cellophane and always waiting on you adoringly for your snack time. So here is my easier more natural version of these little delights. Three components, cake, icing, ganache. Ganache, a fancy way to say chocolate and cream melted together to make a delish topping, more sophisticated than frosting but just as delicious.
Chocolate Cup Cake
Ingredients
1 stick of butter melted
3/4 cups of self rising flour
2 tablespoons of cocoa, dutch or best available I love Valrhona
7 tablespoons of sugar
2 large eggs
A splash of vanilla
A splash of milk
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave or any way you find it easiest.
3. In a food processor add all the ingredients.
4. Fill a muffin tin with liners and half full with the batter
5. Bake for 20 minutes
6. Let cool on a wire rack
Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
8 ounces of best quality chocolate
1 cup of cream
Method
1. Heat cream on low fire, until just before simmer point.
2. Pour in chopped chocolate and stir until creamy
3. Dip cooled cupcakes face first into vat of deliciousness
4. Dip head face first into vat of deliciousness (optional)
Vanilla Icing
Ingredients
1 cup of powdered sugar
1 stick of softened butter
2 teaspoons of vanilla
Method
1. Cream together in standing mixer or with a very strong arm
2. Fill a pastry bag with a star tip
3. Impale the cooled cupcake in the top center and fill until the cupcake begins to bulge
4. Leave with beautiful star tip
Viola! Perfect, natural ho-ho's. Perfect for Christmas... and one jolly red-suited man known for saying Ho Ho Ho and having a notorious sweet tooth...
