blackforest cupcakes

To appease the masses while I get my New Zealand MMR together here is some cupcake porn. Confession, I hate cupcakes. Too fiddly, too much icing to cake ratio, too cutesy wootsey, nothing beats cutting into a huge, fist-in-the-face cake. There will be ZERO cupcake recipes in my cookbook therefore on the rare occasions I do cook them I will share them with you here!

In preparation for the trial wedding cake (due mid October - I'm going to make a mini one for their engagement party) I decided to test out a few ganache/cake/coconut cream options/robustness on my work mates. I was please with the results.

Things I learned - coconut milky water is great for ganache, whipped and refrigerated coconut cream does not melt at room temp or even go soft!! It was still like butter (woo hoo for travelling! I'm trying to figure out how I get this wedding cake up to Olinda in the middle of summer).

ingredients
1 x packet of deliciously free gluten free chocolate cake mix
1 x can of coconut cream, refrigerated
1 x jar of morello cherries
1 x packet of Lindt 70%

method
1. Prepare the chocolate cake mix to the instructions. I found it made 10 cupcakes.

2. In the meantime scoop the coconut cream off that raises to the top of the milky water. Beat with an electric mixer for 5 minutes, until it thickens up then refrigerate (at least two hours).

3. Wait for cupcakes to be completely cooled then cut into the cupcake on the top and scoop out some cake to make room for the ganache and cream.

4. In the microwave or over a double boiler melt 3/4 of the bar of chocolate. Then stir in enough left over coconut milk to thin it out (it will go really thick initially). Drizzle chocolate into the hollowed out cupcakes, place a scoop of coconut cream on top and garnish with a cherry and chocolate shavings.

notes: You *should* make a morello cherry jam to put in with the ganache but I didnt have time! Please see my previous effort for instruction.

Gluten free blackforest cake was my FIRST recipe post on Easy as Vegan Pie. Naw.

Kristy and Toby just made one as well.