Cupcake Conspiracy | Chocolate & Chiles

INDIANAPOLIS - Not that I would EVAR think cupcakes are boring, but sometimes we all need a little spice in our lives. I prefer chiles.

Chiles and chocolate are a perfect match. Still, there are folks that think this a crazy idea, but according to this article on SeriousEats.com, chocolate and hot peppers are naturally inclined to pair well.

This batch of cupcakes was THE moistest cupcakes I have ever made. And I’ll let you in on the secret to that. Buttermilk. Now I use buttermilk to make lots of recipes rock harder – from fried catfish to cornbread to even ice cream.

Buttermilk in baking has some great properties. I mean, you *do* realize baking is all about some science, right? Not only does the buttermilk make a cake moister – and why it is specifically used in pancakes – but is how you achieve light and fluffy cake.

The science:

The acid in buttermilk reacts with baking soda to create that “leavener.” When you create the relationship between buttermilk and baking soda, you get moist, light and fluffy cake. Just like when you add other ingredients, you get a certain outcome. All the relationships from your ingredients affect the color, flavor, texture, shape and volume.

Pro-tip:
Melting chocolate can be a PAIN. If using chips, you can easily melt in a glass bowl in the microwave small amounts, 10-20 seconds at a time. Stir in between each heating.

Soundtrack for "Cortez the Killer" Cupcakes provided by Neil Young's "Zuma."

See the recipes on my tumblr food blog

Twinkle VanWinkle was born in a small town in Mississippi. A life-long lover of music, media and food, she grew up following those three things along her path. She has almost 20 years of professional cooking under her apron strings, feeding thousands of friends, family and other folks while working in restaurants and bakeries in Oxford, Miss. She baked 300 apple pies for the “Oprah Winfrey Show” and appeared on “The Best Of...” in the same year. Along with producing dynamic entertainment content for LIN Media, she is a mother, musician and social media fanatic.

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