Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary

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Chocolate & Chilli Cupcakes

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Add a bit of spice to your life with these indulgent cupcakes; the perfect quick weekend bake!

Chocolate and Chilli Cupcakes

Add a bit of spice to your weekend bake with these indulgent chocolate and chilli cupcakes!

Add a bit of spice to your weekend bake with these indulgent chocolate and chilli cupcakes!

Bizarrely enough, the chocolate and chilli combination is a favourite with my children, especially my younger children who, if a piece of freshly ground cracked black pepper should dare to appear in their dinner lament, with great theatrical gusto: “Fire in the mouth! Fire in the mouth!”

It makes no sense whatsoever, but hey ho, that’s kids for you!

Chocolate and chilli is a flavour combination that goes back for thousands of years, or so we learned when we were on our family Belgium Chocolate Experience in Brussels this summer.

Aztec Temple Painting - The Cocoa Museum, Brussels

Pictured above, an Aztec Temple with cacao trees in the foreground. Photograph taken in The Chocolate Museum in Brussels.

The Aztecs believed that cacao seeds were the gift of Quetzalcoatl, the god of wisdom, and they were traded as currency. A bitter fermented drink was prepared from the crushed seeds, mixed with spices. It wasn’t until chocolate was brought to Europe in the 16th century that we added sugar to it, and it started to resemble the chocolate taste we know now.

The Mayans mixed their roasted cacao seeds with water, chilli and corn meal, pouring the drink from vessel to vessel until the drink had a frothy foam on the top. Ancient hot chocolate!

Chocolate and Chilli Cupcakes

Now, chocolate is one of the most consumed ingredients in the world.

It’s eaten pretty frequently in our house, I’ll tell you that!

So yes, this chocolate cupcake recipe is really simple to make. Just sift the dry ingredients into a bowl, melt the cocoa powder (a proper decent amount too!) with the butter and some water to make a thick chocolate paste, and add to the dry ingredients with some soured milk, an egg and a touch of vanilla.

I’ve used ready made frosting for these because… lazy. Plus, I still haven’t found the perfect home made chocolate frosting recipe yet.

Chocolate and Chilli Cupcakes

Feel free to vary the quantity of hot chilli powder in the cake mix itself. I’ve used only 1/4 teaspoon which imparts a gentle heat to the bake, but you could always up it to half a teaspoonful if you’re feeling adventurous.

Alternatively, adjust the quantity of crushed chilli flakes on the top to vary the heat.

A rather delicious weekend bake for this shorter, colder Autumn days, if I do say so myself!

Enjoy!

Chocolate and Chilli Cupcakes

Chocolate & Chilli Cupcakes

Add a little spice to your life with these indulgent chocolate and chilli cupcakes; perfect for these shorter, colder days.
5 from 1 vote
Print Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 190 C/ 170 C fan/ gas mark 5/ 375 F and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper baking cases.
  • Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, sugars and chilli powder together in a large bowl.
  • Measure out the cocoa powder, water and butter into a small saucepan and heat gently over a low heat until the butter has melted and the ingredients are combined. Do not allow this to boil!
  • Measure out the milk and whisk the egg into it. Add the vanilla.
  • Add the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine well. The batter will be thin.
  • Spoon into the prepared baking cases and bake for 20 minutes until well rise and springy. A wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes will come out clean when done. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Frost and sprinkle with as many (or as few!) crushed chilli flakes as you'd like.
Tried this recipe?Mention @TangoRaindrop or tag #elizabethskitchendiary!

OTHER CHOCOLATE CHILLI RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Double Chocolate Chilli Brownies by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
Chilli Hot Chocolate by The Hedgecombers
Chocolate Colettes with Vodka Chilli Truffle Fudge by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
Chipolte Chocolate Beany Burritos by The Veg Space
Vodka Chilli Truffle Fudge by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
Chocolate & Chilli Cake by Tin & Thyme
Raw Chilli Coconut Chocolate by Planet Veggie

LINKING UP WITH SOME BLOGGING CHALLENGES
We Should Cocoa by Tin & Thyme
Treat Petite by CakeyBoi and The Baking Explorer (host)

Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary

Have you made this recipe?

Take a photo and tag @tangoraindrop or use the hashtag #elizabethskitchendiary and share on Instagram and Twitter. It would make my day to see your creations!

Comments

  4. Oh yes, hooray for the Aztecs and Mayans. Where would we be without chocolate? Possibly a bit thinner and fitter but not as happy 😉 Your cupcakes look superb and I’m a big chilli chocolate fan. Your kids liking chilli and not black pepper made me laugh. Thanks for sharing these with We Should Cocoa 🙂

    Reply

  14. Your cakes look wonderful and my kids are like yours with a love of chilli so I know these would go down well here (plus we all love chocolate – of course:-)!

    Reply

  17. LOL – “fire in the mouth!” I imagine this will be my child once he can talk, although he’ll be more “YES! MORE FIRE IN THE MOUTH!” because at 17 months, he eats spicier things than most of my adult friends. Your cupcakes are beautiful and I too love the chili-chocolate combination, so I’m adding these to my must make list.

    Reply

  20. Ooh I love chilli & chocolate, these look so good! Gorgeous photography, just want to reach into the screen and grab one! Thanks for linking to my beany burritos!

    Reply

  25. I am in love with your Chocolate & Chilli Cupcakes, I made brownies last year and they were a huge hit…I bet your recipe would go over so well with my family—and psst your cupcakes look better than my plan old brownies!!! I can’t wait to try this recipe out on them.

    Reply

  26. This made me laugh!!! I have 1 son who will eat hot curry (but not vanilla!!!!!!) and another who will spend 10 minutes trying to wipe his tongue after ingesting a fleck of pepper

    I am in love with these photos!!!!!
    They are gorgeous!

    Chilli chocolate is one of my favourites! I love the dark chocolate bars that are filled with fondant chocolate and chilli flakes. So good!!!
    Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts recently posted…Pasta with Roasted Fennel and LemonMy Profile

    Reply

  29. Love these cupcake photos! I’ve tried a few recipes that combine chocolate and chili. They usually get rave reviews from folks who love the flavor but can’t place the ingredient. Imagine their surprise when I tell them the secret…!

    This recipe looks like one I need to put into the rotation!
    yummed and stumbled!

    Reply

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