The Inferno!

Recently I was in a cupcake shop in San Antonio, Cupcake Couture on Broadway, and I purchased a cupcake called the Inferno.  It wasn't for me.  I cannot eat anything hot, not even a little.  I'm sort of a cry baby about hot stuff and I could die if I eat it so...  (It literally could kill me due to a food allergy to an as of yet unidentified spice...)  I was saving it for someone, so excited to give it to him and I dropped it...  I was very sad and annoyed with myself.  I love cupcakes, they make me happy and so I imagine that other people are just as happy to get them as I am!  ( this is probably not true, but everyone pretends so I just go with it!!!)  I really wanted him to have this cupcake because he loves hot stuff and cupcakes!  So I began to try and figure out a way to make an inferno cupcake.  This was very hard to do because, as I stated earlier, I don't eat hot stuff.  So, not only had I never tasted the original inferno cupcake, but I would also have to create my own version of the cupcake without tasting it!!!  Finally, while dining at Mama Fu's I had the idea to drizzle the cupcake with sweet chili sauce. I always want to eat the sauce on my egg rolls, it smells really good, but I never do.  I asked the waiter if they sold their sauce and they did not, but when I told him about my idea for the cupcake  he was kind enough to bring me a couple of large containers to take with me!  What a nice guy.  Did I mention I love Mama Fu's?  So the idea was formed, a chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream frosting drizzled with sweet chili sauce. 

They were sweet, spicy, hot, very messy and, according to my guy, had a very good and interesting flavor! 

 

As I was creating the Inferno, I couldn't help but think of a girl I met recently.  She was having a hard day and most likely was going to have more hard days ahead.  We were hanging out and talking and she was hungry.  As we were looking for a snack to eat, she had trouble deciding between some flaming hot Cheetos and chocolate.  Spicy food and chocolate were her two favorite things and it was always hard to choose. I, of course, said she could have both.  She smiled and got the chips and the chocolate.  She is one of the strongest and bravest kids I have ever met and this cupcake is in honor of her, sweet and spicy... you can have both! 

Recipe for Inferno Cupcakes (cake recipe from Buttercream Blondi)

Ingredients

*4 oz of unsalted butter

*1/2 cup sugar

*1/2 cup light brown sugar

*1 egg
*1/2 teaspoon vanilla
*1 1/2 cups flour
*1/2 cup cocoa powder
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1/2 cup coffee

*1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with liners.  Make coffee and set aside.
• Cream butter, sugar and light brown sugar together until light an fluffy. With electric mixer on medium,  add egg and mix until well blended.  Add vanilla and mix until well blended. 
• Sift together flour, cocoa and baking soda. 
• Alternate add flour mixture into the sugar mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the coffee and buttermilk until well blended.
• Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 17 minutes or until done. 

Recipe for Frosting

Ingredients

*1 stick unsalted butter

*3/4 cups hot water

*3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

*2-3 cups powdered sugar

*Sweet Chili Sauce (I used sauce from Mama Fu's)

Directions

• Mix hot water and cocoa powder together
• With an electric mixer on medium, cream butter until light and fluffy. 
• Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until frosting reaches the desired consistency. 
• Add cocoa mixture and mix on low until well blended.
• Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes. 

At this point you can either drizzle the sweet chili sauce on the cupcake or dip the cupcake into the sweet chili sauce (I recommend dipping) 

I sprinkled the cupcakes with red and yellow cake sprinkles and sugar glitter to give it the feel of fire!