CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA SHARK MINI CUPCAKES

I made these mini cupcakes for Victoria’s 5th birthday party.  The theme was The Little Mermaid and the sea, so I decided to make the icing blue, like the sea.  I decorated them with some shark fins made out of chocolate.  As I had already made many sweets for the party, I kept the flavours of these cupcakes simple: chocolate for the cupcakes and vanilla for the icing.   I love mini cupcakes, I think they look really pretty and the good thing is, when you make more than just 1 flavour, it makes it easier for your guests to taste more than one!  I also love the fact that they allow for endless combination of colours and flavours and that even when you keep them “simple”, they always look like “a million bucks”!  Enjoy!

Ingredients: (makes approximately 24 mini cupcakes)

For the cupcakes
1 1/2 cups (188 gms) flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
115 gms unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (125 gms) + 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp milk
3 to 4 tbsp cocoa powder

For the shark fins:
Dark chocolate
White chocolate

For the “sea” icing:
125 gms butter
225 gms icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Blue food coloring

NOTE: this recipe will give you a little bit more buttercream than you require for the cupcakes.  You can store the remaining buttercream in an air tight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 10 days or in the freezer for up to a few months.  Just let it thaw/bring it back to room temperature and re whip it on low before using it.

For the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 165°C and line muffin trays with papers.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

Then cream the butter, vanilla and brown sugar until pale and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well incorporated.  Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the flour mixture and cocoa powder in three batches, alternating it with two additions of buttermilk and milk.  Beat until well combined.

Put the batter into the lined muffin tray cups, filling each to about half.

Bake for about 15 minutes (25 if you make bigger cupcakes).  When cooked, let them cool down in the tray for 10 minutes, then put them on a wire rack to cool down completely.

For the “sea” icing:

Put the sea icing in a piping bag and decorate the chocolate cupcakes with it (I used a 1M Wilton tip for this).  Decorate with the chocolate shark fins and enjoy!

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Chocolate and Vanilla Shark Mini Cupcakes

Chocolate and Vanilla Shark Mini Cupcakes - perfect for a sea themed party!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: International

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 24

Author: Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups 188 gms flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 115 gms unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup 125 gms + 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tbsp milk
• 3 to 4 tbsp cocoa powder

For the shark fins:

• Dark chocolate
• White chocolate

For the “sea” icing:

• 125 gms butter
• 225 gms icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Blue food coloring

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 165°C and line muffin trays with papers.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
3. Then cream the butter, vanilla and brown sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well incorporated. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Add the flour mixture and cocoa powder in three batches, alternating it with two additions of buttermilk and milk. Beat until well combined.
6. Put the batter into the lined muffin tray cups, filling each to about half.
7. Bake for about 15 minutes (25 if you make bigger cupcakes). When cooked, let them cool down in the tray for 10 minutes, then put them on a wire rack to cool down completely.

For the “sea” icing:

1. Beat the softened butter for a few minutes and then incorporate the icing sugar, vanilla extract and the blue food colour. Mix well.

To make the shark fins:

1. Melt the chocolates and spread the dark chocolate on a piece of baking paper. drop some white chocolate on the dark chocolate and then drag it with a toothpick to create a marbled effect. put it in the freezer until hardened and then cut it in the shape of shark fins (I used the tail of a crocodile cookie cutter to do this).

To assemble the cupcakes:

1. Put the sea icing in a piping bag and decorate the chocolate cupcakes with it (I used a 1M Wilton tip for this). Decorate with the chocolate shark fins and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

This recipe will give you a little bit more buttercream than you require for the cupcakes. You can store the remaining buttercream in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 10 days or in the freezer for up to a few months. Just let it thaw/bring it back to room temperature and re-whip it on low before using it.