Black Forest Cupcake (黑森林杯仔蛋糕)

We have moonlight market once a month in our town.  There are live music, alfresco dinning and other specialty stalls selling homemade skin product, olive oil, plants and fudges.  It's not a huge market but I enjoy eating out in the street which bring back my childhood memories in Hong Kong.  My favourite store is the organic chocolate store selling homemade chocolate and cakes.  The chocolate is smooth and the cake is not too sweet and it tastes just "perfect".  The store's young owner has been working with Jamie Oliver and he is such a humble person.  His food is simple but delicious that you'd never forget its taste.  One time, I bought a black forest cupcake for my son, he got very upset as I took a little sample of it.  Unfortunately, the chocolate store is not there in every moonlight market and I have to make some of the cupcakes to satisfy my sweet tooth until the store is up for business again.

Black Forest Cupcakes
(make 12)

165g butter
3/4 tablespoon dry instant coffee
1 cup hot water
100g dark chocolate
50g milk chocolate
1 1/2 cup caster sugar
2 cups self-raising flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 small eggs (60g)
1 teaspoons vanilla essence
300ml cartons thickened cream
2 teaspoons icing sugar
1 can of 415g pitted black cherries, drained
2 tablespoons kirsch
Finely grated dark chocolate for decoration

Methods:

1. Line a 12 cakes muffin tin with paper cases.  Preheat oven to 160C.
2. Melt butter in saucepan, stir combined coffee and hot water, then add in chocolate and sugar.  Stir over low heat without boiling until smooth.  Transfer to a large bowl, cool to warm.
3. Beat the chocolate mixture in low speed with electric mixer, gradually beat in sifted dry ingredients in two lots.  Beat in egg one at a time, then essence.  Spoon batter into muffin tin till it is 3/4 full.  Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until it is cooked.  Cool cake in the rack till it is completely cool.
4. Beat cream until firm beak form, then add in icing sugar.  Keep whipped cream in the fridge.
5. Cut 6 whole cherries in half and set aside.  This will be the garnish for the cake.
6. Cut the rest of cherries into chuck pieces, soak it with the kirsch for few hours.  If you have young children, you may like to omit the kirsch. 
7. Cut a deep circle around the top of cake leaving a 1 cm edge as you would do for a butterfly cake.  Cut the bottom off the cut piece so you have got a flat bottom piece to put back to the cake.
8. Spoon in some cherries into the hole until it is levelled with the cake.  Then fill up the top with the flat piece.  Spoon in a little bit of cherries over the top again and spread the whipped cream over and top the cake with a halved cherry.  Finally sprinkle some grated chocolate for decoration. 

Note:  I prefer to mix the dark and milk chocolate in making cake as I find that the cake taste a bit rich if I only use dark chocolate.  It is an individual choice.  If you have put the cake in the fridge, leave it at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving.  The cake will be nice and soft again.

黑森林杯仔蛋糕
( 12 隻份量)

材料：
牛油 165g
咖啡粉 3/4 茶匙
熱水 1 杯
黑朱古力 100g
牛奶朱古力 50g
砂糖 1 1/2 杯
自發粉 2 杯
可可粉 1 湯匙
60g 雞蛋 2 隻
雲尼那香精 1 茶匙
忌廉 300ml
糖粉 2 茶匙
415g 罐頭去核櫻桃 (車里子), 隔水
kirsch 酒, 2 茶匙
磨碎朱古力, 裝飾用

做法：

1. 預熱焗爐 160c, 一個 12 個鬆餅盆放好蛋糕紙。
2. 用熱水溶好咖啡粉。把牛油和咖啡水一起放進小煲，待牛油溶化後再加入黑朱古力、牛奶朱古力和糖。用低溫攪伴至混和，倒入另一個盆待涼。
3. 用電攪拌机的慢速攪至蛋糕糊混和，分 2 次隨隨加入篩過的自發粉和可可粉，然後每 1 次加入 1 隻雞蛋，最後拌入雲尼那香精。倒蛋糕糊到蛋糕盆直至每個 3/4 滿為止。焗 30 分鐘，把焗好的蛋糕放在蛋糕架待涼。
4. 用電攪伴机打發忌廉至企身，加入糖粉。放入雪櫃待用。
5. 把 6 粒櫻桃切 1 半作裝飾。
6. 然後把其餘的櫻桃切大粒，用 kirsch 酒浸數小時。如家有小孩不想用酒可以免用。
7. 用小刀在蛋糕切出一個頂，放入櫻桃和忌廉。然後再回蛋糕頂，鋪上忌廉，半粒櫻桃和碎朱古力。