Salty Dawgs - Salted Chocolate Malted Cupcakes
 
 
Author:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1 + ¼ cup (190g) plain flour
  • 1 cup (200g) caster sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 + ½ tsp baking powder
  • ⅓ cup (30g) cocoa powder
  • ½ cup (125ml) milk
  • ½ cup (125ml) grapeseed oil (or other flavourless oil)
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or 2 tsp vanilla essence/extract)
  • 1 egg
For the buttercream
  • ¼ cup chocolate malt powder (e.g. Ovaltine)
  • 2 tbsp hot water
  • 3 egg whites
  • ¾ cup (150g) caster sugar
  • 1 stick + 5 tbsp (190g) salted butter, very soft
  • Salted caramel + malted milk balls to decorate
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line a muffin tin with paper cases.
  2. Sift the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl.
  3. In a separate jug, whisk together the milk, oil, vanilla and egg. Pour into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined.
  4. Divide evenly between the paper cases, and bake for 17-20 minutes, or until dry and springing back when pressed. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
  5. To make the buttercream, dissolve the malt powder in the hot water in a small bowl and set aside.
  6. Place the egg whites and sugar into a heat proof bowl, over but not touching a saucepan filled with simmering water (aka a bain marie). Whisk gently (not to incorporate any air), until the mixture reaches 65c/145F - or until the mixture feels hot to the touch, when you rub some between your fingers, you can feel no grains of sugar.
  7. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on a medium-high speed, until the mixture is tripled in volume and completely cool. It should look like meringue.
  8. When the mixture is completely cool, begin beating on the butter adding it a tablespoon at a time, with the mixer running still at a medium-high speed.
  9. When all the butter is incorporated, whisk through the vanilla and the dissolved malt powder.
  10. Top the cooled cupcakes with a generous slathering of buttercream, a drizzle of caramel, and a scattering of crushed malt balls.
Recipe by The Sugar Hit at http://www.thesugarhit.com/2016/03/salty-dawgs-salted-chocolate-malted-cupcakes.html