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When the propeller on the skull cap starts spinning in the wind, things become crazy in the kitchen. It was the annual Scharffen Berger recipe contest, and despite not having secured a place on the leaderboard, I am proud to have participated. Last year’s submission to the contest was so well received I had to take another whack at it. The contest kicked off at the Second Annual BlogHer Food Conference in San Francisco. Long story short, I was drooling over Chef Elizabeth Falkner’s Scharffen Berger Chocolate Pub Cakes and just couldn’t sit this one out.

{If jotting down your grocery list, please note there are three separate ingredients lists.}

Molten Mole Cupcake Ingredients

8 oz Scharffen Berger semisweet chocolate baking chunks (62% cacao)

8 TBS (1 stick) butter, plus 1 TBS (melted)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 TBS Scharffen Berger unsweetened cocoa powder

½ tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp cumin

2 tsps chipotle sauce (no seeds)

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar** plus extra 1/3 cup for dusting

3 large eggs

3 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

6 large marshmallows

Mexican Hot Chocolate Glaze Ingredients

1 cup half and half

2 TBS unsalted butter, cut into 1 TBS slices

3 TBS light corn syrup

9 oz Scharffen Berger semisweet chocolate baking chunks (62% cacao)

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp vanilla extract

Cilantro Pesto Ingredients

4 TBS cilantro, finely chopped

2 TBS granulated sugar

2 tsp pine nuts

Mole Cupcake Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt 1 TBS butter and using a pastry brush, coat cupcake tins, then dust each tin with remaining 1/3 cup sugar.

Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave, or in a double boiler. Add the flour, cinnamon, cumin, chipotle and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla.

Fill 6 cupcake cups halfway. Press a marshmallow into the center of the batter in each cup. Spoon remaining batter equally over marshmallows so that each one is completely covered with batter on all sides. Place in the center of oven and bake for 14-16 minutes, until tops are puffed and crackly. While cupcakes bake begin to make glaze and pesto.

Upon removing cupcakes from oven, gently run knife around the edges to loosen. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Remove from pan by slightly inverting and place each cupcake on dessert plate and cover with glaze and pesto.

Serve warm. Yields 6 cupcakes.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Glaze Directions

In a medium saucepan, on low temperature, heat the half and half, butter and corn syrup until cream is hot and the butter has melted. The mixture should start to bubble, and register at 175 degrees on a thermometer; do not let it come to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate and let it sit in the half and half for 30 seconds to soften. Add the chili powder, cinnamon and vanilla and whisk the sauce until it is smooth and all of the chocolate has melted.

Sauce can be used warm or left at room temperature until it reaches the desired thickness. To store additional sauce, pour cooled sauce into a covered bowl and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. To reheat, spoon sauce into a saucepan and heat over low heat.

Cilantro Pesto Directions

Mix all together in a food processor. Place dollop on top of each cupcake.

Congratulations to the 2010 Scharffen Berger Winners!

3 Replies to “The Scharffen Berger Un-Winner: The Mole Cupcake Revealed”

  1. Oh my, oh my. I think the thing I love most about this extraordinary dish is that every one of the components would be lovely on its own. (Not that I am advocating to eat a bowl of pesto or glaze…)

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