Farewell Asia Cupcakes

A few weeks back I found a recipe that included an interesting combination of ingredients to say the least: chocolate and wasabi, and since I am departing from a four and a half year stay in Asia, I figured now is a perfect time to give this recipe a whirl as it combines flavors that allow me to reminisce of my stay here. Being that I am a pretty daring eater and will try just about anything at least once, I became very intrigued. The best part was that the combination of ingredients took place in the form of a cupcake. These might actually be my last batch of cupcakes for quite some time, so I took an extra long time to make them. I had a feeling these cupcakes were going to turn out really good or really bad.

I started off by following the recipe exactly as posted since I am still learning the science involved in creating a fantastic cupcake. When I got to the adding wasabi part, I added the one tablespoon like mentioned and tasted nothing. I added one more and still no hint of wasabi. I mean if I was going to experiment with these flavors I wanted it to be known. So I continued to add tablespoon by tablespoon until I looked into my packet of wasabi powder and realized that there was only a little left so I just dumped it all in. Since I made it into a paste first, as a means to kick up the heat, before adding it to the batter, it became a little difficult to mix it all into the batter evenly. So basically all I am saying is watch out when you bite into one of these babies because you might get a mini wasabi ball!

Usually I can’t wait for the smell of a batch of cupcakes to fill up my house, but there is something about the smell of cooking wasabi that is not very desirable. But it could just be that I had my fair share of wasabi as I tasted for heat while preparing the batter… who knows. While they were cooling I prepared the ginger butter cream icing which turned out to be amazing! I couldn’t wait any longer and had to break into one. As they cooled I noticed that all of the cupcakes sunk in the middle and appeared as if someone had put their fist in the center of them. I have never had that happen following any of the recipes from love and olive oil, but I am going to give the credit to the excessive amount of wasabi and the slight level of intoxication that existed while making these. I had plans to bring these to work to share but I am not sure if I can due to their utterly unappetizing appearance. As far as the taste, the first bite was delicious but as I continued to try more of the cupcake the amount of wasabi became a little too much. I agreed to stay away until the morning and try again before sharing with others. When I tried them again in the morning I was pleasantly surprised, I think all of the flavors had time to cool properly and blend together as they tasted delicious with only a trace hint of wasabi. But I do know that somewhere in the middle of my cake, (as I ran out of cupcake liners midway so I put the rest in an 8x8 pan) someone will get a nice little surprise of fire. Happy eating!

Black Pearl Cupcakes
Recipe from: www.loveandoliveoil.com
Makes 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients:
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1-2 tablespoons wasabi powder (to taste)

For Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
2-3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons soy creamer or heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
Black sesame seeds, for topping

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.

2. Whisk together the coconut milk, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract until incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, and wasabi. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in coconut milk mixture. Stir until just smooth (do not overmix). Take a quick taste of the batter, and add more wasabi if you feel it is needed.

3. Pour into liners, filling each with 3 tablespoons of batter (cups should be no more than 2/3 full). Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

4. For frosting, cream butter until smooth and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and beat until combined. Mix in vanilla, ginger, and cream. Continue adding sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition (depending on the temperature of your butter, you may need more or less sugar/cream to achieve the proper consistency). Continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and enjoy!