Black Magic Muffins with Cooked Vanilla Icing

I promised something for this week and so I keep my promise.  I also warned you that not everything I touch comes out perfect, even after all these years!

Today's dessert is Black Magic Muffins and Cooked Vanilla Icing.

A little history of my Black Magic Cake recipe; I actually found this in a Lady's Home Journal back in 1976. I liked it because it did not require a beater of any kind.  As a new wife my kitchen was pretty sparse.  I could mix it all by hand and the reason for this was because the batter was so thin.  Hence, Black Magic!  This batter will actually rise to twice it's size.  You will need to be careful if you are using it for Muffins or Cupcakes and not fill the cups more than half full.  You will see why I say this further down.  

This is a wonderful, coffee flavored, chocolate cake with a small crumb, very moist.  The only way you can go wrong with this cake is to bake it too long.  I am using the recipe for muffins today.  Any cake recipe can be used for either muffins or cupcakes.  I would not suggest using this recipe for say a half sheet or larger cake if you intended to fill the product.  It's soft moist crumb makes it very difficult to separate larger layers than a 9 in round or if your experienced maybe a 10 in round.

So, let's get started.  I will post both recipes as written and then will follow them with pictures and instructions on methods to use.  If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.


Black Magic Cake

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup cold brewed espresso

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp Vanilla

1.   Heat oven to 350 F. Spray 10-inch Bunt pan or two 9-inch rounds (you can use a 9 x 13 with no problems) with baking spray; set aside.  If you are using muffin tins add wrappers to make 15 muffins.

2.   In bowl, combine eggs, coffee, milk and oil. Mix till combined.  Add sugar and continue to mix until well combined.  

3.  In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Sift ingredients into the bowl with the liquid.

4   Mix until smooth, batter will be thin. Pour into pan or tins.

 Best Every, Cooked Vanilla Frosting!

5 Tbs.  AP Flour
1 C     Milk
1 tsp   Vanilla (I use 1 Tbs. Clear Vanilla)
1 C    Unsalted Butter (2 sticks)
1 C     Sugar

1.  Begin by pouring 5 tablespoons of flour into 1 cup of milk. I used whole milk because I can if I want.

2.  After adding the flour, whisk it together until combined, then place the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk it as it heats up and thickens, and stop when the mixture is very thick.

Cool the mixture completely. The mixture will be very, very thick.

3.  Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the cooled flour/milk mixture. Stir it around to combine.

4.  Pour one cup of sugar into a bowl with one cup of butter.

5.  Whip it around until it’s light and fluffy, scraping the bowl once or twice to make sure it’s all mixed well.

6.  Add the cooled flour/milk/vanilla mixture. Make sure it’s not the least bit warm!

7.  Next, just whip it on medium-high until the mixture resembled whipped cream.

Now for the pictures!

Let's first start with the icing.

Begin by pouring 5 tablespoons of flour into 1 cup of milk. I used whole milk because I can if I want.

After adding the flour, whisk it together until combined, then place the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk it as it heats up and thickens, and stop when the mixture is very thick.

Cool the mixture completely. 

The mixture will be very, very thick.

Set aside at this time to allow to cool.

Next we'll start the cake!

Above is a picture of the necessary ingredients.

Heat oven to 350 F. Spray 10-inch Bunt pan or two 9-inch rounds (you can use a 9 x 13 with no problems) with baking spray; set aside.  If you are using muffin tins add wrappers to make 15 muffins.

In bowl, combine eggs, coffee, milk and oil. Mix till combined.  Add sugar and continue to mix until well combined.  

In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Sift ingredients into the bowl with the liquid.

Mix until smooth, batter will be thin. Pour into pan or tins.

Notice that I filled these more than half way?  Bake at 350 F. for 23 to 25 mins.  Try not to over bake, that would be the only serious mistake you can make with this recipe.  When you place a tester in the center you want it to come out with moist crumbs attached, not clean.

This is what happens when you over fill the muffin or cupcake tins with this recipe.

Do not panic, all is not lost.  Simple remove the cakes from the tin and use a pair of kitchen scissors to clean up around the edges.  You can then use the extra cake to fill in the centers.

Ok, back to the icing!  Now that the flour and milk mixture has cooled completely it's time to finish up the icing.

Pour one cup of sugar into a bowl with one cup of butter.

   

Whip it around until it’s light and fluffy, scraping the bowl once or twice to make sure it’s all mixed well.

Add the cooled flour/milk/vanilla mixture.

Next, just whip it on medium-high until the mixture resembled whipped cream.  (This is not a picture of my product, I forgot to take one, so I snagged one from the net.)

Now it is time to put the icing on your product and enjoy!

Because part of my cocoa mixture is "dark" chocolate, my cake is very dark in color.  If you notice the bottom picture there is an un-iced muffin.  It is the same ones that you saw above just cleaned up and filled with the extra cake.  

Now, get in the kitchen and bang some pans!!