Molten Center Chocolate Cupcakes

One of the first recipes I bookmarked when I got hold of The Big Book of Baking,this one is a very simple recipe.What I liked most about the recipe is the quantity of the ingredients,almost half of regular cupcakes and it yields 8 big Cupcakes[since I have a 9 hole Cupcake tray,I adjusted a bit here and there to get 9].

Many of my readers expressed concern over uncooked batter when I posted the Molten Lava Cake,though personally I have no problems in baking/eating it,I was amused because many people felt that way.This recipe uses chocolate pieces as the molten centers and it creates a gooey center and there's no question of uncooked batter too.

Having baked a 'cooked' MLC sometime back,I was wary of over baking the cupcake and kept a close tab on it while it baked.While the recipe says 190C,I went with 180C which is the temperature I bake my cupcakes in.The centers were not 'cooked',but the chocolate was not gooey either.I had to Microwave the cupcake[after it baked] for 15 seconds and then the chocolate slowly started melting.But I didn't have to do it after all coz the cupcakes disappeared as soon as they came out of the oven!

Molten Center Chocolate Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from The Big Book of Baking


Ingredients



Butter - 55 gms
Castor Sugar - 55 gms
Flour - 85 gms
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp
Egg - 1
Vanilla - 1 tsp
Milk - 1-2  tbsp
Chocolate - 100 gms,chopped into small cubes


Method

Preheat oven to 190C.Line a cupcake tray with paper cups or use a silicon muffin pan.
Sift together flour,baking powder and cocoa powder.Keep aside.



Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
Mix in egg and vanilla,beat for one more minute.
Sift in the dry ingredients and beat until the last trace of flour disappears.If the batter seems too stiff,add milk to 'loosen' the batter.The final batter should be of dropping consistency.





Pour half of the batter into the cupcake molds.Make an indentation with the back of a spoon and place the chopped chocolate on top.Pour the other half of the remaining batter and cover the chocolate.
Bake for 20-22 minutes or till the cupcakes have risen and firm on top.
Let it cool for 2-3 minutes,then remove the cupcakes from the tray and cool on a wire rack.
Dust with icing sugar on top and serve.




Notes

• As I mentioned earlier,the centers were not so molten,so you can try baking it at a higher temperature for a gooey center.190C or 200C would be ideal.
• I found the cupcakes to be a lot less sweet for my liking,nothing that a drizzle of Hershey's couldn't save,but if you are serving the cupcakes on their own,increase the sugar.I think 70 gms would be fine.
• The original recipe calls for self rising flour,so if you have it--use it and skip the baking powder.