As an athlete I'm obviously not supposed to have a lot of sweets, but I have to admit that I do indulge a little from time to time. After all, I'm only human! My partner Colin McManus usually bites the bullet and takes the job as taste tester. Sounds like a tough job, right? For my first post I decided to go the not so healthy route. I didn't want to scare you guys off by starting off with a dessert made with black beans. Although, that will eventually come ;). My favorite flavor combination is chocolate and hazelnut, so I wanted to incorporate that into my first post. I made Chocolate cupcakes with a chocolate buttercream frosting, pretty simple right? Well, I also made Nutella bark to go on top! Not only does the bark have Nutella, it also has pieces of Ferrero Rocher chocolates (my personal favorite chocolate) crumbled on top. First things first...the bark.
Nutella Bark
• 1lb (16oz) semisweet chocolate
• 3/4 cup Nutella
• 10 Ferrero Rocher chocolates
Coarsely chop the Ferrero Rocher chocolates and set aside. It will be a little messy, but it's worth it :)
Place the chocolate in a microwavable safe bowl. I used squares of chocolate, but you could use chips, or bars. If you do use a bar just make sure to chop it into like-sized pieces. Microwave for 1 minute, stir, and then microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth.
Spread the melted chocolate out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Microwave the Nutella for 30 seconds. Use a spoon to drizzle the Nutella over the melted chocolate, and try to distribute it as evenly as possibly. Then, take a knife, kabob stick, or anything you prefer (I used a small inverted spatula) and swirl the chocolate and Nutella together.
Sprinkle the chopped Ferrero Rocher on top and stick it in the fridge for 2 hours or until firm. The Nutella will stay slightly soft.
Cupcakes - adapted from Hershey's chocolate cupcakes
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
Heat oven to 350° and line a muffin pan with paper liners. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Give it a quick spin to combine. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until incorporated. Stir in the boiling water (the batter will be thin). Fill liners 2/3 of the way with batter. Bake for 22-25 minutes and cool on a wire rack. Makes about 30 cupcakes.
Frosting
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 7 cups confectioners sugar (I don't like my frosting very sweet, but if you do feel free to add more)
• 1 1/2 cups cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 tablespoons heavy cream or milk (I prefer heavy cream)
Place the butter in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and mix until incorporated. Add the confectioners sugar 1 cup at a time. Trust me, if you add more than a cup at a time the sugar will go everywhere! Powdered sugar really is a pain to clean up, and after hearing my sister say, "Stasia! You got powdered sugar everywhere!" one too many times, I finally learned my lesson. I say, if you don't make a little bit of a mess while baking you're doing it wrong. Although, my sister clearly disagrees :P. Once all the sugar is incorporated add the salt and vanilla. Add the heavy cream and beat for 2 minutes on high.
Once the cupcakes are cool its time to frost! You can frost them however you like, but I prefer to pipe :) Once the bark has hardened you can either break it up by hand for a more homemade look, or if you're feeling super fancy you can cut it into triangles with a knife. Whatever happens to float your boat. Top each cupcake with a piece of delicious Nutella bark. Enjoy!
Hope you enjoyed the first blog, there will be many more to come! Maybe next time I'll do a healthy recipe…or maybe not ;)
