Eid Recipes

Dark Chocolate Valrhona Cupcakes with Mango Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Dark chocolate cake meets sweet mango buttercream.  Why not mix high quality chocolate with a classic South Asian dessert flavor?  The ultimate Eid cupcake.

What is Valrhona Chocolate?  Valrhona focuses mainly on high-grade luxury chocolate marketed for professional as well as for private consumption.  Valrhona produces vintage chocolate made from beans of a single year's harvest from a specific plantation, primarily the Grand Crus which is grown in South America, Oceania and the Caribbean.  Yes, it's pricey...but worth the money on such a joyous occasion.

When making this cupcake I originally decided to have a mango curd filling.  After tasting the rich chocolate cake and the mango buttercream together I thought it may become overwhelming, so I decided not to add it.  I couldn't help but smile to think about how my family would react to a mango buttercream and chocolate.  Their reaction was priceless!  Ah, the simple pleasures of life.  Okay, enough about that.  The recipe is posted below, but first the therapy portion of this blog...

Therapeutic topic of the week:

Stress and Alcohol. Gender, family history, and parenting influence drinking behavior. Children in families with multiple risk factors are at greater risk for alcohol abuse or dependence. Some of these risk factors include growing up with parents who: are dependent on alcohol, have coexisting psychological disorders, or use alcohol to cope with stress. Some studies show that regardless of a family history of alcoholism, a lack of parental monitoring, severe and recurrent family conflict, and poor parent-child relationships can contribute to alcohol abuse in adolescents. Children with conduct disorders, poor socialization, and ineffective coping skills as well as those with little connection to parents, other family members, or school may be at an increased risk for alcohol abuse or dependence.

Research and population surveys have shown that people under stress, particularly chronic stress, tend to show signs of more unhealthy behaviors than less-stressed people. Stressed people drink more alcohol, smoke more, and eat less nutritious foods than non-stressed individuals. Many people report drinking alcohol in response to various types of stress, and the amount of drinking in response to stress is related to the severity of the life stressors and the individuals' lack of social support networks. 

A challenging question that continues to be unanswered in the field of addiction is why some individuals are more vulnerable to substance use disorders than others. “Numerous risk factors for alcohol and other drugs of abuse, including exposure to various forms of stress, have been identified in clinical studies. However, the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie this relationship remain unclear. Critical neurotransmitters, hormones and neurobiological sites have been recognized, which may provide the substrates that convey individual differences in vulnerability to addiction” (Uhart & Wand, 2009). More sophisticated brain measures are helping researchers understand what effect alcohol has on specific hormones in the brain.

Alcoholism is a complex medical condition that is believed to be caused by a number of both hereditary and environmental factors. While stress is not considered to be a cause of alcoholism, stressful experiences may lead to relapse of the disease in those who already suffer from alcoholism. 

Dark Chocolate Valrhona Cupcakes with Mango Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe

Ingredients

For the batter:
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
Pinch sea salt
1 cup Valrhona Cocoa Powder
1/3 tsp. baking soda
1/3 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 large whole egg
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/3 cup coffee, warm

For the buttercream:

5 large egg whites
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup mango pulp (from ripe pureed and strained mangos)

Directions
Sift all dry ingredients together into a bowl.  In separate bowl mix eggs and buttermilk.  Melt butter in a pot and then add the coffee.  Add to butter/coffee mixture to the buttermilk mixture. Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients and mix until just combined, about 1 minute (do not over mix).  Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, portion into cupcake molds. Fill about 1/2 way up.  Bake at 325F for approx 20-25 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center to check for doneness.

Meanwhile, combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).
Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.
With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla and mango pulp. Switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day.

Frost cupcakes and decorate as desired.

Cupcake recipe from Derek Poirier

Buttercream recipe adapted from Martha Stewart