Microwave Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting Recipe

This recipe is for more of a true cupcake that other microwave recipes out there (but made without eggs) that's cooked in a microwave.

Just to show that you really can prepare a cake in a microwave (and not just a gloopy sponge pudding) here is the result of an experiment I did for my recent cupcake book (see below for details of that.)

Microwave Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Serves: 18

Ingredients:

50g (1/4 cup) butter
140g (1 cup) plain flour
3 tsp cocoa powder
90g (3/4 cup) icing sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of baking soda
250ml (1 cup) milk
3 tsp vegetable oil
For the Frosting:
50g (1/4 cup) butter
60g (1/2 cup) icing sugar
1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder

Method:

For the Cupcakes: Melt the butter either in a heavy-based saucepan over low heat or in a microwave-safe bowl. Take off the heat and set aside to cool.

In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder and icing sugar. Once the butter has cooled slowly work into the flour mix and beat well to combine. The butter thickens the mixture quite rapidly, so add the milk to thin it down to a batter. Finally beat in the oil (you should end up with a pouring consistency batter).

Line the wells of microwave-safe muffin tins (ie silicone ones) with mini cupcake cases. Spoon in the batter, filling no more than 3/4 full then place in your microwave and cook on full power for about 1 minutes or until cooked through and well risen (a toothpick inserted into the centre should emerge cleanly). Allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting: Beat the butter in a bowl until smooth and fluffy then add the cocoa powder and icing sugar and continue beating for about 10 minutes. Spoon the resultant buttercream into a piping bag fitted with large nozzle. Pipe a swirl on top of the cupcakes and serve.

Note that this eggless batter can also be baked as a traditional cupcake. To do this, prepare the cupcakes as above, but instead of placing in your microwave transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mark 4) and bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre emerges cleanly. Allow to cool in the tin (make certain this is safe for the oven) for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate once the cupcakes are cold.

For more microwave-based recipes, why not visit the Celtnet Microwave cooking and recipes page.

UPDATE! My new recipes book eBook: Cupcakes, Muffins, Fairy Cakes and More — Baking Secrets has just been published in an edition for Amazon Kindle!

This recipe and over 360 other recipes for cupcakes, muffins and other small cakes can be found in this eBook.

The chapters in the book cover: Cupcakes (including: Vanilla and White Cupcakes; Chocolate and Dark Cupcakes); Microwave Cupcakes; Muffins (including: Refrigerator Muffins); Fairy Cakes and Butterfly Cakes; International Cupcakes; Cupcakes for Special Occasions; Icings and Frostings; Flour and Cake Mixes; Other Small Cakes; Historic Muffins and Cupcakes.

Not only do you get all the recipes, but there are over 50 illustrations throughout the book. You also get a history of cupcakes and muffins, showing how they evolved from British muffins and crumpets to become an American phenomenon.

Every classic and traditional cupcake and muffin style is dealt with in the book and you get over 60 recipes for different types of icings and frostings. The ebook is everything you need to successfully bake cupcakes and muffins. You also get a chapter covering different muffin and cupcake styles from across the globe. Get you copy today and help this blog and the Celtnet Recipes website keep going.