Chocolate - Apricot Cupcakes Filled With Crème Patissière

This recipe is my contribution to Nutriferia’s CHOCOLATE DESSERTS Roundup. Don’t forget to participate until 9 May! Even if I’m more of a savoury gal I sometimes crave something sweet and that usually implies chocolate :).


Cupcake ingredients (for 12 cupcakes)

• 5 Tbsp brown sugar (you might want to reduce the quantity if the chocolate and the jam you’ll be using are really sweet)
• 150 g/ 5.3 oz flour
• 100 g/ 3.5 oz milk chocolate
• 2 eggs
• 3 Tbsp apricot jam
• 1 Tbsp mashed compote apricot
• 100 g/ 3.5 oz unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 tsp baking powder

Crème patissière ingredients

• 3 medium egg yolks
• 2/3 of a vanilla bean
• 1 ½ heaping Tbsp of flour
• 1 ½ cup of milk
• 2 ½ Tbsp caster sugar

Decorate with

• Grated milk chocolate ( I was out of dark chocolate but I’m pretty convinced it woud’ve worked better)
• 12 (compote or fresh) apricot slices (you can also use peaches, that’s what I did)

Directions

It’s always a good idea to make the crème pastissière first because this way it will have enough time to cool before filling the cupcakes.

In a medium bowl mix well sugar and egg yolks using a wooden spoon. Add ½ Tbsp of flour and mix well, then another ½ Tbsp of flour, mix again to make sure the flour is evenly distributed and continue until you’ve tossed in all the flour.

Cut the 2/3 vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds. Pour the milk in a heavy-bottomed pan, toss in the vanilla seeds and bring to a boil over medium heat. When you see the milk foaming and rushing upward quickly remove the pan from the heat. Gradually whisk the hot milk in the egg-sugar mix. Pour the mix in the same heavy-bottomed pan and stir over low heat. It’s important to speed up the stir when it starts bubbling. When the stirring becomes more difficult and the crème patissière is a little bit thicker than a pudding you need to remove it from the heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 180 C/ 360 F.

Now on to the cupcakes. Line muffin cups with bottom-pierced paper liners. Coarsely chop chocolate and butter and melt in a bain-marie. Remove when melted and allow to cool for a few minutes.

In the meantime beat eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Toss in jam, apricot purée, orange juice and melted chocolate and stir gently.

Mix together flour and baking powder, add to the bowl and stir again.

Fill each cup 2/3 full and bake them for about 20-25 minutes or until the cupcakes pass the toothpick test.

Set aside for a few minutes allowing to cool. Using a teaspoon remove a cone from each cupcake. Fill the hollow with crème patissière.

Decorate with grated chocolate and apricot (or peach) slices.

Indulge!

For those of you celebrating Easter on Sunday, I hope you spend these precious moments with those dear to you. Happy Easter!