This year, instead of wasting money on a litany of ingredients to make a less-than-average cake, I decided to go with the box mix. But to add my own creative element, I heeded the advice of my wiser baker friends and substituted the water allotment for coffee. Coffee acts like a magician when paired with chocolate. It intensifies the chocolate flavor and brings new dimensions of taste to an otherwise ordinary chocolate dessert. I've found that lemon juice and zest and some herbs also have that same effect when paired with certain dishes.
In any event, I went across the street to my local Caribou coffee (I am not a coffee drinker. I love the smell, hate the product. Strangely enough, I do love coffee flavored items such as ice cream and yogurt) to get my special ingredient. When it was my turn to order, I approached the barista and asked for one cup of coffee, never having ordered it before. She asked, light or dark roast. I said, what's the difference? She said, one's uh lighter and less bold than the darker one. I decided to go with the light.
I made my way back to my apartment and prepared the batter, fearing 1.25 cups of coffee would more than overpower the other ingredients. My apartment soon was swollen with the intoxicating aroma of warm chocolate goodness.
Once they cooled, I iced them with an icing bag and voila. I was done.
I transported the cupcakes over to my brother a day early and tried one just before leaving. Pretty good! I could definitely taste the coffee, but it wasn't overpowering. It was the perfect complement to the rich chocolate. I am now a believer in the power of coffee to wake up any chocolate recipe.
