Baking Mondays - V is for Violet Crumble Cupcakes (and cake)

Chocolate cake topped with honey Swiss meringue butter cream and drizzled with milk chocolate, finally finished with Violet Crumble crumbs.

Violet Crumble won in a land slide last week and really did that surprise anyone? Why have a boring vanilla cupcake or a vegan cupcake when you can have a Violet Crumble one?

For anyone out there that doesn't know what a Violet Crumble is, just think of a Crunchie - it is very similar but a bit tougher on the teeth - because after all "it is the shatter that matters" supposedly.

Now before we go on you should be warned that this is a story of a baking day with multiple mishaps. I believe in being an honest food blogger, so when I have failures I want you to know all about it. First mishap was thinking that adding crumbled Violet Crumble to chocolate cake batter was a good idea - just warning you now!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Violet Crumble (adapted from Confetti Cakes for Kids by Elisa Strauss)
Makes 24 cupcakes

340g plain flour
113g cocoa powder
12g baking powder
16g tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
227g sour cream
4 tsp vanilla extract
227g unsalted butter
7 ounces caster sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups strong prepared coffee
150g crumbled Violet Crumbles (I bashed mine with a rolling pin - good for anger management)

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line two 12-hole muffin tray with cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream and vanilla extract.
4. In a bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until smooth.
5. Set the mixer to low speed add the egg and then scrape down the sides.
6. Alternately add the flour and sour cream mixtures to the butter mixture in 2 batches, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl after each addition.
7. Gradually pour in the coffee. Scrape down the bowl and beat until combined.
8. Add the Violet Crumble to the mixture and stir to combine.
   
9. Divide batter among the muffin holes and bake in oven for 20-25 minutes.

Okay so this is why you shouldn't add Violet Crumble to your cupcake batter...


Do you see all of those craters in my cupcakes? That is where a bit of Violet Crumble was near the surface and caused a bit of craziness. Apart from the unattractive craters on top of the cupcakes, in the rest of the cupcake there was no sign of any Violet Crumble, it totally disintegrated (which makes sense in hindsight). So there you go people, do not add Violet Crumble to your cupcakes!

Okay next step in making the cupcakes was the...

Honey Swiss Meringue Butter Cream

270g caster sugar
4 egg whites
250g unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup honey
Yellow food colouring

Follow the directions for Almond Swiss Meringue Butter Cream, but omit the vanilla and almond and instead add the honey and enough yellow food colouring to get a nice soft yellow colour.

Next I used my lovely new 1M tip to pipe a swirl onto each cupcake, don't they look pretty...


To finish the cupcakes crush 2 king size Violet Crumbles (again time for some anger management with the rolling pin) and melt 100g milk chocolate. Once the chocolate has cooled slightly drizzle some chocolate over each cupcake, then top each cupcake with some of the Violet Crumble crumbs.

Now they are looking delicious...


Now a word to the wise - don't leave these cupcakes for very long before consuming because if you do this will happen to you...

Do you see that Violet Crumble? It ain't shattering anymore! It went all gooey because I left it for too long (as in overnight). So these cupcakes are a bake and take on the same day kind of thang. Okay? Right.

Continuing on the full disclosure path I need to tell you my last baking mishap. I doubled this batch of cupcakes so I ended up getting 36 cupcakes, a 6 inch cake and this lovely number...


Yes I was very impatient and tried to move it from the cake rack before it was cooled. It broke in half. So when your recipe says to leave it on the rack until it has completely cooled please do so, otherwise you will have to do the dodgy like me...


That's better. Swiss meringue butter cream fixes everything.


The ratings?

Me - 6/10, cake is good - except for the silly crumbled Violet Crumble. The SMBC is yummy! Melted gooey Violet Crumble is no fun for anyone.
Mat - 8/10, cake was a bit crumbly, still great though.