Chocolate Sponge:
1.8oz Cocoa Powder
8oz Whole Eggs
8oz Oil
4oz Water
2tsp Red Food Coloring
Mix together cocoa powder with eggs, gradually add in oil and water to combine. Mix in the red food coloring. Pour into prepared cupcake forms and bake at 360 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool and store in cooler until ready for use.
PastryCream:
8oz Milk
4oz Sugar
1.6oz Cream Powder
2oz Egg Yolks
Bring the milk to a simmer, then add the mixture of sugar, cream powder and yolks. Cook for 5 minutes. Cool and store in cooler until ready for use.
Chocolate Ganache:
8oz Heavy Cream
8oz Dark Chocolate
Bring the cream to a simmer, slowly add chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted. Cool.
To assemble (per author):
Take cooled cupcakes out of tin. Cut hole in cup cake top to create a small hole in the center of cake . Fill hole in with ganache Set upright on plate. Frost with pastry cream. Shave a bar of Valrhona chocolate to make curls or grate over top of cake.
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Kurt Winner is a Lifestyle Journalist and Photographer and a member of the IFWTWA. He writes from the Mt. Hood area near Portland, Oregon