Chocolate Sponge Cupcakes recipe
This is a French-style cupcake (if that’s not an oxymoron), and the recipe is a bit complicated but makes a really good base for unique
cupcakes when you really want the filling and frosting to be the stars.
Ingredients
For 12 cupcakes
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/3 cup cocoa powder, extra brute (good-quality, dark, without sugar added)
8 egg yolks
3/4 cups sugar, divided
8 egg whites
Instructions
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2 Sift together the flour and cocoa powder into a small bowl and set aside.
3 Whisk the egg yolks on high speed in a standing mixer while pouring in half cups of the sugar. Whisk until the mixture is
lightened to a butter color, about 8 to 10 minutes, then pour it into a separate mixing bowl and set aside.
4 Clean the bowl of the standing mixer really well; make sure there is no yolk left, or the egg whites will not rise at all.
5 With the clean bowl on the standing mixer, whip the egg whites on a slow speed for a few minutes (but no more than 5 minutes, or you’ll add air to the whites). This breaks up the proteins, warms them up a little, and helps the cupcakes rise.
6 Turn the mixer on high and slowly add the remaining sugar. Whip until soft peaks form, about 8 minutes. Soft peaks are a little droopy, so you want light, airy whites that don’t hold their shape well.
7 Take a little bit of the yolks that were set aside and fold them into the whites with a rubber spatula (this is called tempering). Then dump this all into the yolks and slowly fold them together—do not overmix the ingredients or handle them roughly.
8 When the mixture is almost combined, delicately fold in the flour and cocoa powder.
9 Once the batter is combined, use an ice cream scoop to fill the cups in the cupcake pan about ¾ full and bake for about 10 minutes. When a toothpick comes out clean, you’re cool to take them out of the oven.
This is a French-style cupcake (if that’s not an oxymoron), and the recipe is a bit complicated but makes a really good base for unique
cupcakes when you really want the filling and frosting to be the stars.
Ingredients
For 12 cupcakes
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/3 cup cocoa powder, extra brute (good-quality, dark, without sugar added)
8 egg yolks
3/4 cups sugar, divided
8 egg whites
Instructions
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2 Sift together the flour and cocoa powder into a small bowl and set aside.
3 Whisk the egg yolks on high speed in a standing mixer while pouring in half cups of the sugar. Whisk until the mixture is
lightened to a butter color, about 8 to 10 minutes, then pour it into a separate mixing bowl and set aside.
4 Clean the bowl of the standing mixer really well; make sure there is no yolk left, or the egg whites will not rise at all.
5 With the clean bowl on the standing mixer, whip the egg whites on a slow speed for a few minutes (but no more than 5 minutes, or you’ll add air to the whites). This breaks up the proteins, warms them up a little, and helps the cupcakes rise.
6 Turn the mixer on high and slowly add the remaining sugar. Whip until soft peaks form, about 8 minutes. Soft peaks are a little droopy, so you want light, airy whites that don’t hold their shape well.
7 Take a little bit of the yolks that were set aside and fold them into the whites with a rubber spatula (this is called tempering). Then dump this all into the yolks and slowly fold them together—do not overmix the ingredients or handle them roughly.
8 When the mixture is almost combined, delicately fold in the flour and cocoa powder.
9 Once the batter is combined, use an ice cream scoop to fill the cups in the cupcake pan about ¾ full and bake for about 10 minutes. When a toothpick comes out clean, you’re cool to take them out of the oven.
