Peppermint Chocolate and Red Velvet Cream Cheese Mini Chiffon Cupcakes

My friend requested for 70 mini cupcakes to give out to his colleagues. A couple of flavours were suggested and I gave my own take to what peppermint chocolate and red velvet cream cheese cupcakes should look and taste like :)

Cooked dough chiffon cupcakes topped with frosting, sprinkles and mini macarons!

I began the bake by making lots of plain heart macarons and chocolate round macarons.

Piped hearts!

I drizzled some melted dark chocolate over the chocolate shells.

You may refer to any of the recipes on the blog for the macaron shells. To be honest I am really busy now that's why I am not providing the macaron recipe 😅. The focus on this post is in the chiffon cupcakes and frosting too.

I used cooked dough method for both flavours of cupcakes as they are both chocolate based. Blooming the cocoa powder in hot oil will help bring out the chocolate flavour of the cocoa powder more.

Mint chocolate cupcakes
Ingredients (makes about 40 38x28mm cupcakes):
4 egg yolks
56g vegetable oil/ canola oil
56g milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 tsp Kahlua coffee liqueur (optional)
1 tsp peppermint extract
26g Dutch processed cocoa powder
52g cake flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 tsp baking soda

5 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
80g caster sugar

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 140℃. Set oven rack to second lowest position. Place a tray of water at the base of oven (optional).

2. Prepare egg yolk batter. Sift together flour, salt, cocoa powder and baking soda. Heat oil in a small saucepan until 90℃ (this temperature is higher than what I suggested earlier as I find that the cocoa flavour is more awake with higher temperature) or when you start seeing swirl lines in the oil. Pour the oil into the flour mixture. Whisk until well combined and let it sit for a few minutes for the cocoa powder to bloom.

3. Mix together milk, vanilla, coffee liqueur and peppermint extract. Gradually add milk mixture into egg yolk batter and whisk until combined after each addition. Add one egg yolk at a time and whisk until well combined.

4. Prepare merinuge. In a clean metal bowl, use an electric mixer to beat egg whites with cream of tartar until firm peaks form, gradually adding caster sugar once the egg whites are foamy.

5. Quickly but gently fold in meringue into egg yolk batter in three additions. Fill the cupcake cases until about 80% full.

6. Bake at 140℃ for the first 10 min then 130℃ for the next 25-35min or until skewer comes out clean. Use a shorter baking time if using higher temperature and no steam. Cool completely before frosting.

Peppermint white chocolate ganache
Ingredients:
300g white compound chocolate chips
60g unsalted butter
98g heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs peppermint extract
A few drops of liquid green food colouring

Steps:
1. Place all ingredients except peppermint and colouring in a microwave safe bowl or double boiler. Melt over medium-low power for 20 seconds and mix well. Repeat until chocolate is melted and smooth.

2. Chill in freezer for 2 min and mix well with spatula. Repeat freezing and mixing until you are able to whip the ganache to cream-like texture.

3. Gradually add peppermint extract and mix well. Add green colouring a drop at a time until desired shade. Mix well with each addition.

Transfer after into piping bag fitted with an open star tip and pipe a swirl on the cupcake.

 Add sprinkles if you wish. Fill the macarons with the same filling before placing them on top of the cupcakes.

Red velvet cupcakes
Ingredients (makes about 40-45):
4 egg yolks
52g vegetable oil
72g buttermilk (or 65g milk and 7g lemon juice mixed together)
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
72g cake flour
13g Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 and 1/3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp red gel food colouring

5 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
85g caster sugar

Steps:
Same as mint chocolate cupcakes. Sift baking powder with flour and add red gel colouring to buttermilk.

Freshly baked!

Cream cheese white chocolate frosting 
I love this recipe because it's not too sugar overloaded like the traditional cream cheese frosting recipe and yet it's firm enough to pipe and hold it's shape. Increase the proportion of white chocolate if you have a sweet tooth.

Ingredients:
240g cream cheese, room temperature
120g unsalted butter
120g white compound chocolate chips
4 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/2 tsp salt

Steps:
1. Melt butter and white chocolate together using microwave of double boiling method.

2. Chill the melted mixture in the freezer for 2 min and then mix well with spatula. Repeat freezing and mixing until you are able to beat the ganache until creamy.

3. In a other bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy with electric mixer. Add whipped white chocolate ganache and continue beating with electric mixer.

4. Add salt and vanilla and beat until well combined.

My friend fedback that the cupcakes were yummy!

With love,
Phay Shing