Wishing You All A Healthy And Prosperous New Year
This month’s Baking Eggless Group Challenge, suggested by Archana of The Mad Scientist’s Kitchen, was to make Cauldron Cakes. I hadn’t heard of these charming little cakes until Archana mentioned them and shared a link. The photos were irresistible, so our eggless baking group gave them a try. Fans of Harry Potter will recognize cauldron cakes from the series; although I’ve watched all the movies, I hadn’t read the books and was unfamiliar with them until now.
Recipe Adapted From Pastry Affair
Makes 12 Cauldron Cakes (24 cupcakes)
Makes 12 Cauldron Cakes (24 cupcakes)
Ingredients:
Devil’s Food Cup Cake:
Cocoa Powder – 1/2 cup
Hot Water – 1/2 cup
All Purpose Flour (Maida) – 1 ¾ cup
Baking Powder – 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda – 1/2 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Butter – 3/4 cup
Caster Sugar – 1 cup
Homemade Apple Puree – 1/2 cup
Sour Cream – 1 cup
Vanilla Essence – 1/2 tbsp
For the Glaze:
Bitter Sweet Chocolate – 250 g
For the Filling:
Butter – 1/8 cup
Icing Sugar – 1/2 cup
Milk – a few drops
Vanilla Essence – 1/4 tsp
Procedure:
- Boil the water and stir in the cocoa powder until you have a smooth paste. Allow to cool.
- Cream the butter and caster sugar until soft and fluffy.
- Add the apple puree and 1/3 cup of the sour cream. Beat well; the mixture may look curdled but this is normal.
- Mix in the cooled cocoa paste and vanilla until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture alternately with the remaining sour cream, folding gently with a wooden spoon.
- Grease a muffin tray and fill the molds with batter.
- Preheat the oven to 175°C and bake for 10–15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Invert the tray onto a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool completely.
- Divide the cupcakes into two equal groups: one will be the bottom of the cauldron and the other the top.
- Melt the bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler and stir until smooth. Remove from heat.
- Invert one batch of cupcakes (top side down) on a wire rack and coat them completely with the molten chocolate. The coating will set in minutes.
- Pipe handles: fill a paper cone or piping bag with melted chocolate and draw 12–15 handle shapes on baking paper. Once the first line sets, trace over it again to strengthen the handles. Let them harden.
- In the second batch of cupcakes, remove a conical portion from the bottom with a sharp, pointed knife by inserting the knife at an angle to the center and cutting in a circle. This creates space for the filling.
- Make the buttercream by mixing the butter, icing sugar, vanilla and a few drops of milk until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer the buttercream to a paper cone or piping bag and pipe it into the hollowed portion of each cupcake.
- Melt a little more chocolate and spread a thin layer over the chocolate-coated cupcakes where the top will sit.
- Place the buttercream-filled cupcakes on top of the chocolate-coated bottoms, pressing gently to set.
- Pipe a chocolate ring around the buttercream seam to create a rim, then attach a hardened chocolate handle on that ring. Hold until set.
- Arrange the finished cauldron cakes on a plate and serve, or refrigerate and serve later.
- Tip: If sour cream is not available, make a substitute by collecting the cream that forms on boiled and cooled milk, stir in a teaspoon of curd and leave overnight to thicken. Gradually add more cream each day until you have a bowlful. Refrigerate and leave at room temperature overnight to develop a tangy sour cream. Alternatively, mix fresh cream with a teaspoon of curd and leave overnight.
Cream butter and sugar.
Mix hot water and cocoa and stir until smooth. Allow it to cool.
Add apple puree and sour cream.
Add the cocoa paste.
Add flour and sour cream, and mix gently with a wooden spoon.
Pour batter into greased molds and bake.
After cooling, remove a portion from the bottom of one batch to make room for filling.
Fill with buttercream.
Coat the other half of the cupcakes with melted chocolate.
When cool, invert and cover with a layer of melted chocolate.
Place the filled tops onto the chocolate-coated bottoms.
Pipe a chocolate ring around the buttercream seam.
Pipe handles with melted chocolate onto baking paper and let them set.
When the handles are firm, attach them to the chocolate ring and hold until set.
Serve and enjoy your cauldron cakes.
This makes a delightful New Year visual treat.
Notes on trials:
My first attempt used Dairy Milk chocolate and banana as an egg substitute. The cakes were soft but had a noticeable banana flavor. They tasted good with the chocolate coating and whipped cream filling, but I couldn’t form sturdy handles, so those cakes were handle-less.
On my second try I used bittersweet chocolate and apple puree instead of eggs. The cakes were softer, the handles held better, and the batch was well received at the office.
Enjoy making these whimsical, eggless cauldron cakes—perfect for parties or a themed treat.