The batter from Donna Hay’s Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake (see here) is the one I used for my eldest son’s wedding ten years ago.  At that time the online recipe posted on Donna Hay’s website was for 2 x 18cm round cake tins, but when I visited this online recipe just a couple of weeks ago, the ingredients had been increased to cater for 2 x 20cm round cake tins.  I only mention this in case you wish to make this cake as per that recipe.

For the wedding I made one large single layer 26cm round cake for the bride and groom to cut, and then lots (and lots … 120!) of cupcakes for the guests to have as part of their dessert.

The cake itself is delicious, moist, cuts easily and keeps beautifully for quite a few days.  The cupcakes can be made in advance too, and kept in a sealed container for a couple of days until you are ready to ice them with whatever topping you desire.

My process for the Saturday wedding (in case this interests you) was to make the cupcakes on the Wednesday, then make multiple batches of my White Chocolate Icing (see here) on the Thursday, and then on the Friday I iced the cupcakes and allowed them to sit at room temperature for a couple of hours for the icing to “set”, before putting them into sealed containers to be delivered to the wedding venue the next day.

Ten years ago I did not have a Thermomix so made the cakes as per Donna’s process.  But since then a Thermomix has come into my life, so last week I decided to trial them using a Thermomix as my youngest son has requested them for his wedding and I wanted to see if the batter converted easily to being made in the Thermomix … and of course it did!

So here is the converted recipe, with just a couple of extra additions from me.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

... with my white chocolate icing and a sprinkle of rose petals before serving

Author: Gina @ The Passionate Pantry

Serves: 18 to 19 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 300g plain flour
• 1 tsp bi carb soda
• 440g raw caster sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
  
  
• 250g water
• 125g butter, cold from fridge
• 35g Dutch cocoa powder
  
  
• 125g cultured buttermilk
• 2 x 60g eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Instructions

1. Line two standard muffin trays with paper liners and put aside
2. Preheat oven to 160 degrees fan forced, and place rack into middle of oven
3. Place flour, bi carb soda, sugar and salt into TM bowl and blend 10 seconds / speed 4, put aside
4. Add water, butter and cocoa powder to TM bowl and heat 3 minutes / 50 / speed 2, scrape around bowl
5. Add buttermilk first, then eggs and vanilla and blend 10 seconds / speed 3
6. Return flour mix to TM bowl and blend 10 seconds / speed 4, scrape around bowl and repeat 2 seconds / speed 4
7. Mixture will be quite runny
8. Place mixture into a jug to make it easier to pour into cupcake liners
9. Fill liners to just barely ¾ full (the mixture will rise quite a bit in the oven and you want to have a perfect rounded top … if you use too much mixture it may rise up over the sides)
10. Bake one tray at a time
11. Place first tray into oven and bake 15 minutes, turn tray around and continue for a further 10 minutes … test before removing and add another minute or two if necessary (it takes exactly 25 minutes in my oven)
12. Continue with second tray
13. When cupcakes come out of the oven, allow them to cool for just a couple of minutes before carefully picking them up and placing onto a cooling rack to cool completely (if you leave the cupcakes in the muffin tray for too long, they will sweat which can cause the liners to come away from the cupcakes later on)
14. Once completely cool store the cupcakes in a sealed container until ready to decorate with your chosen icing

Notes

I used Brownes' Cultured Buttermilk which has a thicker consistency than buttermilk leftover from making butter yourself, or from adding some acid to plain milk. I suspect you will get a better result using cultured buttermilk, which you can make yourself, but that will take a further 24 hours.

To make cultured buttermilk, simply add a tablespoon of yoghurt to buttermilk leftover from making butter, and leave on your bench top for 24 hours. After this time it should have thickened. Store in the fridge for a few days until ready to use.

When I originally made these cupcakes ten years ago I had a different oven, and my baking time was less. With my new oven I found the baking time had increased, so always be guided by your first experience with the recipe when baking in your own oven as temperatures can vary.

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