Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Chef Nicole Kaplan of Eleven Madison Park – New York, NY
Adapted by StarChefs

You can use food coloring to make the frosting any color you
like and then decorate the cupcakes with Halloween candy.

Yield: About 2 dozen cupcakes

Cupcakes:
• 6 ½ ounces egg whites
• 1½ cups sugar, plus ½ Tablespoon
• 4 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• ½ cup water
• 4 ounces cake flour
• 3 ounces cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Buttercream frosting:
• 1 whole egg
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup corn syrup
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 ½ pounds butter
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Place egg whites and 1/2 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Begin to whip on low speed. Meanwhile place yolks, oil and water in another bowl and whisk together just until frothy. Add the remaining sugar and whisk together. Sift together all remaining dry ingredients and add to the cocoa mix. Mix together until there are no lumps. Turn up the speed on the egg whites and whip to medium stiff peaks, or until they resemble shaving cream. Fold the whites into the chocolate mix in three additions, being careful not to over mix and deflate too much. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into nonstick cupcake pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake until cupcakes spring back in the center, about 15-20 minutes.

For buttercream frosting:
Whip the egg and yolks together until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer. Meanwhile in a medium saucepot, bring the corn syrup and sugar to softball stage (121°C on a candy thermometer). Slowly pour the sugar into the whipping eggs. Let mixture cool while whipping to lukewarm. Slowly add the butter, little by little, continuing to whip in mixer. When half of the butter has been added, switch to the paddle attachment. Continue to beat until smooth and creamy and then add the vanilla bean scrapings.