Spooky Ghost cupcakes (makes: 20 cupcakes)
Ingredients
1½ cups sugar
1½ cups flour
¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoons salt
¾ cups buttermilk, room temperature
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
¾ cup warm water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Ingredients for Seven Minute Frosting
3 large egg whites
¾ cups sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Mini & regular chocolate chips for the face!
Method
Preheat oven to 180C.
Line cupcake tins with liners, set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Make a small well in the middle of the bowl and add the buttermilk, oil, eggs, water and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients together and then incorporate the dry until smooth and lump-free.
Fill cupcake liners ⅔ of the way full and bake for 20-23 minutes.
Allow cupcakes to cool while you make the frosting.
Place egg whites in the clean bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment.
In a small saucepan with a candy thermometer attached, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water.
On medium-high, heat cook the sugar mixture until boiling.
At that point- turn the mixer on medium high speed to get the egg whites to soft peaks.
When the sugar mixture has reached 230F, slowly pour it down the side of the bowl in a steady stream while the mixture continues to run.
Beat on medium-high for about 7 minutes or until the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch and stiff glossy peaks have formed.
Add the vanilla right before you finish beating the frosting
Pipe frosting onto the cupcakes right away (it gets a bit firm otherwise.) and decorate with the chocolate chips!
Recipe by Ryan Berichon, Executive Chef at My Chef and Blue Strawberry, a leading Durban catering company.