Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes
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Serves: 18 to 19 cupcakes
 
... with my white chocolate icing and a sprinkle of rose petals before serving
Ingredients
  • 300g plain flour
  • 1 tsp bi carb soda
  • 440g raw caster sugar
  • 1 tsp sea salt flakes
  • 250g water
  • 125g butter, cold from fridge
  • 35g Dutch cocoa powder
  • 125g cultured buttermilk
  • 2 x 60g eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Instructions
  1. Line two standard muffin trays with paper liners and put aside
  2. Preheat oven to 160 degrees fan forced, and place rack into middle of oven
  3. Place flour, bi carb soda, sugar and salt into TM bowl and blend 10 seconds / speed 4, put aside
  4. Add water, butter and cocoa powder to TM bowl and heat 3 minutes / 50 / speed 2, scrape around bowl
  5. Add buttermilk first, then eggs and vanilla and blend 10 seconds / speed 3
  6. Return flour mix to TM bowl and blend 10 seconds / speed 4, scrape around bowl and repeat 2 seconds / speed 4
  7. Mixture will be quite runny
  8. Place mixture into a jug to make it easier to pour into cupcake liners
  9. Fill liners to just barely ¾ full (the mixture will rise quite a bit in the oven and you want to have a perfect rounded top … if you use too much mixture it may rise up over the sides)
  10. Bake one tray at a time
  11. Place first tray into oven and bake 15 minutes, turn tray around and continue for a further 10 minutes … test before removing and add another minute or two if necessary (it takes exactly 25 minutes in my oven)
  12. Continue with second tray
  13. When cupcakes come out of the oven, allow them to cool for just a couple of minutes before carefully picking them up and placing onto a cooling rack to cool completely (if you leave the cupcakes in the muffin tray for too long, they will sweat which can cause the liners to come away from the cupcakes later on)
  14. Once completely cool store the cupcakes in a sealed container until ready to decorate with your chosen icing
Notes
I used Brownes' Cultured Buttermilk which has a thicker consistency than buttermilk leftover from making butter yourself, or from adding some acid to plain milk. I suspect you will get a better result using cultured buttermilk, which you can make yourself, but that will take a further 24 hours.

To make cultured buttermilk, simply add a tablespoon of yoghurt to buttermilk leftover from making butter, and leave on your bench top for 24 hours. After this time it should have thickened. Store in the fridge for a few days until ready to use.

When I originally made these cupcakes ten years ago I had a different oven, and my baking time was less. With my new oven I found the baking time had increased, so always be guided by your first experience with the recipe when baking in your own oven as temperatures can vary.
Recipe by The Passionate Pantry at https://www.thepassionatepantry.com.au/chocolate-buttermilk-cupcakes/