Cocoa Cupcakes - Recipe

As promised on a previous post, I'm sharing the recipe for my easy, simple and delicious cocoa cupcakes. It makes for 5 or 6 cupcakes, not too sweet, but with an intense and wonderful cocoa taste... and smell!

This recipe is extremely easy and it doesn't make a big mess in the kitchen, so it became my "mid-night saviour , while in the middle of a series marathon, at late hours, and feel in need of something yummy.

It's a blessing and a curse...

2 table spoons butter (melted, 30 sec in the microwave)

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

2 table spoons cocoa powder

½ tea spoon vanilla aroma 

½ cup flower + ½ tea spoon baking powder

2 table spoons milk

Pre-heat the oven at 180.C.

Use a small bowl and a whisker. Add the ingredients by the order above mixing well after each one. 

I use two VERY full spoons of cocoa because I really want to get an intense flavour.

Put 5 or 6 cupcake paper cups in a cupcake pan (no need to pre grease anything or wash the cups later) and distribute the batter using a table spoon.

Bakes for 15 minutes. 

I advise waiting a bit before eating them but in an emergency they go down well while still hot (because of the wonderful smell they release it's difficult to resist) with a cup of milk.

That was the basic recipe. But if you want to make it more fancy, then it's time to put that electric mixer to work, and get a nice frosting on your cupcakes. I personally love them simply with whipped cream. But today I tried a mascarpone and cocoa frosting. the mascarpone is to replace the typical butter-cream because Emil finds it too sweet.

4 table spoons mascarpone

2 table spoons heavy cream (might work with milk or sour cream)

2 table spoons cocoa powder

2 table spoons confectioners sugar

½ tea spoon vanilla aroma

a pinch of salt

Mix everything well and apply it with a piping bag and add a few sprinkle of chocolate on top, to make it more pretty. 

   

   

all photos by me

Hope you like it as much as we do here!

Have a great weekend.

Friday

 Quick black and white details of my home. 

Happy Friday everyone!

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Kitchen Crush - Le Creuset

A few quick shots of my latest kitchen crush. 3 small bowls from Le Creuset.

Wishing a sunny weekend to everyone!

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Chocolate Cupcakes

You may have noticed that I have been posting several photos of cupcakes lately. There is a reason for that. I have been obsessing over cupcakes for the last 3 months. I decided to go on a crusade in search of the perfect cupcake and while I can't yet post the recipe here, I can always share the pictures of some attempts. It shouldn't be that difficult to find the perfect cupcake but... my perfect cupcakes needs:

- a good cake base, preferably with a strong chocolate flavour;

- a good frosting but it cannot be the normal butter-cream because the Mr. doesn't like it;

- to be easy and quick to make without having to use the electric mixer or a scale;

- just enough for two people...meaning I don't want to end up with 20 cupcakes that we can't (well we can but we shouldn't) handle.

These pictures show my last attempt. The cake was actually kind of awesome! but I didn't nail the frosting... yet!... I converted all measures in cups and spoons and used a simple whisker to mix the batter. And it made 6 cupcakes...perfectly acceptable, I say!

   

all photos by me

(edited) I have now posted the perfect recipe for few and fast cupcakes here

Goodbye Google Reader...

...Hello Bloglovin'

So, it seems like Google reader is retiring in a few months. I personally won't miss it because for a long time I've been using Bloglovin' to keep track of the dozens of blogs I follow.  

You can follow Life as a Moodboard on Bloglovin', as well as any other blog of your choice! It's actually an amazing tool. It's easy to sign and easy to use (trust me, I can be very thick with internet things sometimes, and I never had any problems with Bloglovin'). And it also allows you to add a small symbol to your bookmarks bar that let's you know when you have new posts to read. I love it and I hope you'll love it too.

Give it a try and I hope to see you there!

all photos by me

Snowdrops

A beautiful Monday and the feeling that 

Spring is finally coming!

all photos by me

Wishing everyone a great week...

Cupcakes&Chocolate photos

   

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Béarnaise Sause

Friday is the day I kick my diet in the butt, and yesterday I gave it a royal kick with a big bowl of béarnaise sauce. The Mr. was craving for it and, since he behaved so well for the whole week by not eating things that would make me pull my hairs out in despair, I thought it was only fair to grant him his wish. I know you can buy this sauce in the supermarkets ready to eat or half prepared but... C'mon! It is not the same thing and it doesn't give half the satisfaction. It is indeed a tricky little thing to make, but once you get the hang of it you'll see just how much it is worth it. I use a recipe adapted and perfected by my father over the years. There are a few differences from the original recipe but the result is still amazing. If you feel brave enough give it a try.

this makes enough for 4 people:

(even though it's the amount I make just for the 2 of us at home...don't judge until you try it!)

1 small onion finely chopped (half the size of the one you can see in my pictures)

2 table spoons dry tarragon (or according to your taste)

White wine 

2 egg yolks

250g (a pack) cold butter (a good idea is to previously slice the butter into 7 or 8 pieces)

Throw the chopped onion and the tarragon into a small sauce pan and add the white wine just enough to cover it. In low heat let the wine evaporate completely (there should not be any liquid left but don't let it burn). 

Remove the sauce pan from the stove and place it's outside under cold running water for a few seconds (this is a nice trick). 

Now it's where the complicated bit starts. The thing about this sauce is that you need to have perfect control over it's temperature. Too much heat will make the yolks and the butter separate and not enough heat will make it stay liquid and not really a sauce. My two first attempts here in Denmark were a failure because I wasn't used to an electric stove. I used to cook with fire and had to figure out what the stupid numbers on this new stove meant. Finally I found out that number 3 was the one I wanted (out of 6). Moving on...

Get the butter out of the fridge at this point. 

Back to the stove, low flame or number 3, add the yolks and start stirring until you get sort of a paste (takes seconds). Then add a piece of butter and stir...never stop stirring...vigorously. when that piece is fully incorporated add another one and repeat the process. A good idea, to avoid over heating, is to add the pieces of butter and start stirring with the sauce pan on the stove and then, when it's half melted, finish it away from the heat. 

When all the butter is incorporated keep stirring, moving the pan on and off the heat if needed, until it gets the consistency of a sauce. And it's done!

all photos by me

Enjoy!

Winter

It's snowing again...

Seems like the winter doesn't want to end.

image via Søciety6

photo by me

Have a nice weekend everyone! I'm having a cold one...

Diet Mood

Life loses a bit of colour when I'm on a diet...

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Dry Little Roses

all photos by me

I've resigned myself with the fact that flowers don't survive at my home. 

May as well take advantage of it and cheer up my window with these cute but dry little roses.

Have a great weekend everyone!