Textures of Chocolate Cupcake
I’ve never been very good at having a measured, balanced existence. For example, I have a bad habit of letting work take over my life. Sometimes I get so deeply involved in my job that it automatically takes precedence over anything else I should also be doing. This week I hadn’t given myself enough time to plan ahead for B’s birthday which fell on Tuesday. On the day, I got home late from work and we celebrated with microwaved soup, a replay of the Netherlands vs Italy Euro Cup match, and much later, a piece of chocolate cake that Calamari had made for B. Not really how it should have all panned out, I’m afraid!
So I’m trying to make up for my lack of celebratory gestures with a little gift. Chocolate is one of B’s favourite flavours essential food groups. Whenever we eat out, I don’t even bother looking at the chocolate option on the dessert menu, because I know he’ll order it anyway (unless it’s freakishly overloaded with all sorts of unfriendly dairy products). These cupcakes which I’m calling Textures of Chocolate Cupcakes, feature chocolate in various forms : cake, ganache, cocoa nib brownie cookie, salted chocolate caramel and crunchy chocolate soil. If you can manage one bite to encompass all the different components, you will hopefully experience the sensation of silky, moist, moussey, crumbly, crispy, crunchy, melting, creamy, goey and chewy textures all at once. But each component tastes good on it’s own too. The chocolate cake is by Rose Levy Berenbaum and is one of my favourites. Rose’s mother describes it as tasting just like a chocolate bar. Which can hardly be a bad thing, can it!
Happy belated Birthday, B! 🙂
The Caked Crusader said,
June 12, 2008 @ 6:52 pm
Wow! These are amazing – they’re like 3 treats in one (I like value for money!!!)
You have a lovely site – I have bookmarked you for future reading!
Thanks for stopping by my site.
Dee said,
June 12, 2008 @ 7:39 pm
I don’t believe I’ve ever seen such a deliciously decadent chocolate cake come out of a home oven! And your photos are just as amazing 🙂
bowb said,
June 12, 2008 @ 9:14 pm
you star!! i thought the previous nibby brownie was pretty awesome, but this really takes the cake. fnar fnar.
Y said,
June 12, 2008 @ 9:22 pm
Thanks guys! It IS a bit of an over-the-top treat, but birthdays only come once a year!
Although, now I’m thinking I should have made the chocolate shard leaf-shaped, just to give it a bit more finesse .. :-/
pastrystudio said,
June 12, 2008 @ 10:08 pm
Wow, that is terrifically brazen! I love your sense of style. You’ve made an over-the-top dessert look so natural and appealing by doing a great job balancing all the elements in perfect proportion. Beautiful composition.
barbara said,
June 12, 2008 @ 10:09 pm
Oooh that is decadant. I love it.
Lori said,
June 12, 2008 @ 10:40 pm
That looks amazing! My husband is the same with chocolate desserts at restaurants. I’d better not let him see your pic otherwise he might ask me to make it.
linda said,
June 12, 2008 @ 11:25 pm
I love what you did with all the textures, and because of it it looks so refreshingly different and delicious!
Rebecca said,
June 13, 2008 @ 12:42 am
Ohhhh, this is gorgeous. Such a good idea.
Aran said,
June 13, 2008 @ 2:05 am
yummy!!!!
Emily said,
June 13, 2008 @ 2:55 am
Just when I start getting tired of cupcakes… you come up with an amazing one!! Seriously, that picture…the description of the different components… AHHH I MUST HAVE ONE!!!
Sophie A. said,
June 13, 2008 @ 3:03 am
What a great little gift/treat. I love the huge tower of chocolate over the cupcakes. My husband would go crazy over these :).
mir said,
June 13, 2008 @ 3:30 am
That is beautiful! The day chocolate bars look like that is the day I start breaking into vending machines.
Katie said,
June 13, 2008 @ 6:00 am
Hi! Sorry it took me so long to reply to your comment…I just found it this morning.
That cupcake looks wonderful! How long have you been doing food photography? You’re very good 🙂 Thanks for the comment.
B said,
June 13, 2008 @ 9:41 am
The lucky people that I have distributed these creations to were amazed when they saw them. After attempting to eat them, we agreed that the challenge is actually being able to fit them in your mouth! A deconstruction strategy is the way to go, I think. 🙂
noble pig said,
June 13, 2008 @ 1:25 pm
How wonderful is this recipe! I love it! Just love it.
Lorraine E said,
June 13, 2008 @ 2:54 pm
Gorgeous! Hehe I think the replay of a soccer match and soup is actually how my husband would prefer to spend his birthday lol
grace said,
June 13, 2008 @ 6:24 pm
yes ma’am, that’s my kind of dessert–a little bit of everything! and amen to chocolate as a food group!
Mike said,
June 14, 2008 @ 1:34 am
I love it–a chocolate overload is pretty much what a birthday requires, and I like that you had so many diverse applications of chocolate in this treat. It sounds delicious
giz said,
June 14, 2008 @ 11:51 am
Just brilliant and so fancy.
Cakelaw said,
June 14, 2008 @ 2:55 pm
These look devine – chocolate cookie + chocolate cupcake = heaven. B has good taste.
arfi said,
June 14, 2008 @ 7:46 pm
oh my! all chocolate! i wonder if someone will make a chocolate cupcake like that on my birthday hehehe…
Helen said,
June 16, 2008 @ 11:22 am
Mmm…. chocolate….nghhhrrrrrrhhhhrrrr *Homer-like stupor*
So chocolatey yet so fancy too!
cathy x. said,
June 16, 2008 @ 4:40 pm
everyone chant “RECIPE! RECIPE! RECIPE!”
brownie cookies are such a great idea! i wish i’d thought of that when we were making baaaaad brownies the other day. we made the portions too big after we baked it and everyone got too whacked 🙁 it was hilarious though
the airy fairy said,
June 16, 2008 @ 8:23 pm
these look absolutely amazing! and i am totally with you on chocolate being an essential food group…definitely very essential…i couldn’t exist without it! those photos are stunning too!
Suzana said,
June 16, 2008 @ 8:31 pm
Oh my! These look sinful, and I’m not even crazy about chocolate!
Clumbsy Cookie said,
June 19, 2008 @ 5:40 am
Can I wow in textures? It’s brilliant!
steamy kitchen said,
June 26, 2008 @ 9:19 am
love this!
Becky said,
June 26, 2008 @ 12:39 pm
now that’s a cupcake! beautiful. =)
Tartelette said,
June 28, 2008 @ 1:35 am
Love this! What a birthday treat!!
cakebrain said,
July 2, 2008 @ 5:45 am
This cupcake looks absolutely ravishing. I like the different textures and I’m a devoted fan of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s cake recipes.
Jeanine said,
July 22, 2008 @ 1:04 am
Those cupcakes look absolutely amazing! Love that it contains all the wonderful textures that chocolate can have.
Jessica@Foodmayhem.com said,
July 22, 2008 @ 1:42 am
Dang, presentation is amazing – like modern art.
Rindy R. said,
July 22, 2008 @ 3:45 am
I have never seen a cupcake I want more!!!!!! That would fill my chocolate sweet tooth – for a year!! (ok – a day)
Miri said,
July 22, 2008 @ 5:09 am
This chocolate goodness surely makes up for a little lack of festivity on the birthday itself! It looks beyond delicious, Y!