It has certainly been a week of blog events! Today I am posting my October cupcake hero entry. The theme this month is squash – now in the States what we think of as butternut pumpkin is actually known as Butternut Squash, so I have used what we call pumpkin as the base of my cupcakes. In NZ a squash is like a watery, over sized zucchini! Which I don’t think would make very nice cupcakes.
As I have written before, I love pumpkin and I am partial to the sweet combination of chocolate and pumpkin. So, my cupcakes are butternut chocolate cupcakes with a butternut cheesecake filling. They are not the prettiest cupcakes I have ever made, but personally, I think that they are one of the yummiest. The cupcakes themselves are chocolate, but include grated pumpkin – a bit like a chocolate zucchini cake, but pumpkin chocolate. I based the recipe on an Annabel Langbein recipe. The cakes are deliciously moist and so easy – just put everything in your bowl and mix!
Next, I filled the cakes with a pumpkin baked cheesecake mixture. I based the recipe for this on one in the Whimsical Bakehouse small cakes book. I halved the recipe, retaining the full amount of spices and baked the topping in a small ceramic dish. I then scooped out the centres of the cupcakes and filled them with the creamy cheesecake filling. I wasn’t sure about the icing. I love great big swirls of icing, but I did think that the cakes might be rich enough with the cheesecake filling. So instead, I went for a simple ganache topping which I spread across the top of the cakes. I topped my cakes with little pumpkin shaped sprinkles.
I must say, I am delighted with these. They are a little different, but taste delicious!!! Thanks again to Laurie for running this fabulous event. See the other squash cupcakes here!
Chocolate and butternut cheesecake cupcakes
For the cheesecake:
180g softened cream cheese
¼ c brown sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp cream
¼ c mashed pumpkin
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
1 egg
· Beat the cream cheese, then beat in the sugar, cream and flour. Mix in the pumpkin and spices and lastly the egg.
· Bake at 180c in a small dish (mine was about 15cm round) for 15-20 minutes until cooked, but still retaining a little wobble, then refrigerate
For the Cake:
1 c sugar
1 egg
½ c milk
1 c grated pumpkin
1/3 c dutched cocoa
½ tsp each mixed spice and cinnamon
100g butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp golden syrup
2 c self raising flour
½ c boiling hot strong coffee
· Either beat everything together in a bowl until smooth, or process in a food processor
· Spoon into cupcake cases (I got 15) and bake at 180c for 18-20 minutes
To Assemble:
· Scoop a small lid out of each cooled cupcake and fill with a teaspoonful of pumpkin cheesecake
Top with the cake lids and then ice with chocolate ganache
6 comments:
LOL, I know what you mean... this week has been a posting marathon. I've got Cookie Carnival cookies to post tomorrow.
Anyway, I like how nicely you've filled your cupcakes. Whenever I've tried filling them it's kind of hit or miss whether there is enough and whether it is well distributed.
They sound yummy! at least they're good for a topic of conversation :)
Hi, saw you on the all purpose girl. Followed you here. Judging from your blog your have a passion for baking. That is one of my hobbies. I'm a baker and a crafter. The food looks great. Nice pics.
Yuummm they sure look yuummyy to me :D I still have yet to try this chocolate and pumpkin combo so many people are doing it haha
Stunning and delicious! The sprinkles are gorgeous.
Stephanie X
These were great! I loved the hint of spice with the chocolate :)
These look gorgeous and sound delicious. I love pumpkin (and choicolate ;)) too!
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