Chocolate Cloud Cupcakes

This past week, I've been dreaming of cupcakes. But not just any cupcakes...ones that capture the beauty of a pavlova: that sweet crispy shell encasing a light fluffy center, all in a bite sized package.

Coincidentally, I was catching up on one of my favorite blogs this weekend, and noticed that she's hosting a cupcake event for Sugar High Fridays. This month's theme is basically a call to arms for all those who love cupcakes and want to give them the respect they deserve, lol!

So, I took the event as an excuse to actually try out these cupcakes, because honestly, I probably wouldn't have gotten around to making them for a couple of months otherwise!

At first, I was going make the cakes out of plain pavlovas, but the idea of cocoa-flavored ones, studded with melted bits of chocolate, became much more intriguing. I'd never made chocolate pavlova before, but it seemed like a fun challenge!
To reinforce the chocolate flavor, I subbed some of the caster sugar with brown sugar and added a touch of instant espresso powder.

Instead of the usual whipped cream, I wanted a stiffer frosting, so I opted for a lightly sweetened whipped cream cheese deal (this proved to be a bit of a mistake), along with a drizzle of chocolate sauce and colorful summer fruit.

This is the first time I've ever participated in a food blogging event like Sugar High Fridays, so I'm really excited.

Cupcakes aren't dead, they're definitely here to stay and I hope these pavlova inspired cupcakes do the cause justice, lol! So here goes...

Chocolate Cloud Cupcakes w/ fresh summer fruit

makes 12

4 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup superfine sugar

1 teaspoon vinegar ( I used red wine vinegar this time, it doesn't really matter though)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons natural cocoa powder

2 ounces finely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

Fresh fruit: blueberries, diced strawberries, diced kiwi, raspberries, etc...

Lightly sweetened whipped cream or

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup heavy cream

Chocolate Sauce
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate
2 ounces heavy cream

Line a 12-cup cupcake tin with paper liners.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Prepare all the ingredients like the chocolate, fruit, etc...
Combine the caster and brown sugar to get out any lumps.

Whip the egg whites on high speed until foamy, then add the cream of tartar and continue to whip until soft peaks form.

Beat in the sugar a little at a time, until you see stiff peaks.Rub a little of the egg whites between your fingers to check if the sugar has dissolved. If it still feels gritty, beat the mixture a little more...

Gently fold in the vinegar, espresso powder, and vanilla.

Sift the cornstarch and cocoa powder over the egg whites, then gently fold in.

Fold in the chopped chocolate.

Spoon or pipe the batter into the prepared cupcake tins and place in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 250 degrees and bake for 35 minutes. After that, turn off the heat and let the cupcakes cool inside the oven for another 15-20 minutes.


After cooling in the oven, carefully remove the cakes from the tins and place on a rack to cool completely...

While the cupcakes are baking /cooling, prepare the toppings...
Chocolate Sauce:

Heat the heavy cream just until little bubbles form around the edge of the pan, then pour into the chocolate. Stir until smooth and set aside to cool.

Cream frosting:
Whip the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the cold heavy cream until fluffy.

I didn't feel like pulling out the icing kit, so I just used a big ziploc bag with the corner snipped off when it came time to frost the cakes.

With some of the cupcakes, I drizzled the chocolate before adding the fruit, others after...


Now, isn't that kinda cute?

Well, unfortunately, the cuteness was short-lived for most of these cupcakes because...

::Womp Womp::

...after a few minutes they caved under pressure!

I'm not sure if this was due to me using a heavier frosting than plain whipped cream or maybe they needed to stay in the oven longer.

So these will be headed to the oops, try again file for a little tweaking, lol...

So, besides the collapsed roof issue, I was pretty happy with the taste. And, I got the crispy shell and rich fluffy center I imagined. Like a cloud made out of chocolate :o)

Do you want to give all those cupcake naysayers a piece of your mind, too? Well, you can participate in the "Sugar High Friday"cupcake event, just submit your recipe and pics up until September 26th.

Head over to foodbeam for the details!

Happy Baking!