Rilakkuma Cupcakes
I am not so sure whether it needs to be explained who, or what is Rilakkuma. However, I was really in the mood of making some cute cupcakes in his image. Chocolate Rilakkuma cupcakes topped with chocolate mousse domes. The face details are drawn with a little bit of melted chocolate, and the ears are actually small cookies (any recipe you have for chocolate cookies will work just fine).
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Rilakkuma Cupcakes
Equipment:
- Standard Muffin Tin, 12 Holes, lined with cupcake liners.
- Half Sphere Silicone Mold, 8 holes (6cm)
Recipe:
Chocolate Cupcakes:
| Ingredient | Amount (g / units) |
| Softened Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature) | 80g |
| Vanilla Extract | 1/2 tsp |
| Eggs | 120g |
| White Granulated Sugar | 140g |
| Baking Powder | 1+1/2 tsps |
| Salt | 1/8 tsp |
| Milk | 45g |
| All Purpose Flour | 150g |
| Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder | 20g |
| Dark Chocolate Chips (50-60%) | 85g |
Chocolate Mousse Domes:
| Ingredient | Amount (g / units) |
| Milk Chocolate | 25g |
| Dark Chocolate (50-60%) | 35g |
| Milk | 60g |
| Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder | 3g |
| Powdered Gelatin | 1/2+1/8 tsps |
| Water | 10g |
| Heavy Cream (38%) | 110g |
| White Granulated Sugar | 10g |
| Vanilla Extract or Paste | 1/2 tsp |
Decoration:
| Ingredient | Amount (g / units) |
| Melted Dark Chocolate (for drawing the eyes and nose) | 15g |
| Melted White Chocolate (for drawing the nose) | 10g |
| Melted White Chocolate + little bit of Yello food coloring (for drawing the ears inside) | 10g |
| Small cookies 1.5cm in diameter, for the ears (use any chocolate cookies recipe you prefer) | 16 Cookies |
| Heavy Cream 38% (for decorating the border of the mousse domes) | 40g |
Preparation and assembly instructions:
Mousse Domes:
- In a small bowl, mix the gelatin and water together well, and refrigerate until use.
- In a small saucepan, over low- medium heat, cook the milk chocolate, dark chocolate, milk and cocoa powder, while mixing constantly to a smooth mixture, then taking it off the heat. Pay attention not to bring the mixture to a boil, and ensure that it is completely smooth without any lumps.
- Microwave the gelatin mixture for about 10 seconds, and thoroughly mix to a clear liquid without any lumps.
- Add the bloomed gelatin mixture to the chocolate mixture and mix well and set to the side until it reaches a temperature of 30-34C.
- In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream and sugar to soft peaks consistency cream.
- Fold the cream into the chocolate mixture in 3 parts. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe into the silicone mold. Freeze for at least 3 hours.
Chocolate Cupcakes:
- Preheat your oven to 185C (fan mode off), placing a baking rack at the lowest shelf inside your oven.
- In a bowl, using a handheld electric mixer or a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla, on medium-high speed, until the mixture is light and airy (about 3-4 minutes).
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs very well. Gradually add the eggs to the butter mixture (8-10 parts).
- Sift the dry ingredients over the butter mixture: flour, cocoa and baking powder, and fold them inside until 50% incorporated. Add in the milk and chocolate chips and fold into the batter until fully combined.
- Pour the batter to the holes of your prepared muffin tin (about 75g per cupcake). Take care not to fill the holes all the way through, just about 3/4 of the way (we will be slicing off the dome after the cupcakes are baked).
- Bake for 15 minutes. Cool down completely on top of a cooling rack.
Assembly:
- Using a serrated knife, cut the dome of each cupcake.
- Place a mousse dome on top of each cupcake.
- Pipe the face details, and stick the small cookies at the sides of the mousse dome (the ears).
- Pipe tiny cream pearls, around the mousse domes by using a plain round piping tip, 0.5cm in diameter.
