Cupcakes for two...

It's 11pm on a Friday night and you've been studying for the last 5 hours. You have to take a break, but you know that getting on Facebook is only going to make you jealous of all your friends who aren't in school and are enjoying a night on the town, hanging out with friends, spending time with their significant other, or who headed out of the city for a weekend adventure... and you still have 382 pages to read, 17 power point presentations to go over--and that's for just one of the 3 tests and 2 practicals you have next week.

And then the craving hits--you just HAVE to have a cupcake. And now that's all you can think about. There's no way that you're going to be able to memorize the specificity/sensitivity of musculoskeletal special tests, read that research article, or work on that group project until you have a cupcake.

I found this recipe several years ago, lost it, bookmarked it, Google Chrome dumped all my bookmarks, and came across it again yesterday. This recipe made Friday study nights so much better, raised my grades, made me a physical therapist, and saved my life. (Ok, I might be slightly exaggerating, but this recipe is a life-changer!) And best of all, you can mix it up with a fork/spoon/some sort of stirring implement inside a mug/bowl/glass/coffee thermos... this recipe is sink-full-of-dirty-dishes-and-I-don't-have-time-to-wash-them friendly!

One Bowl Vanilla Cupcakes for Two

1 egg white

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla (yes, a full teaspoon – they are super vanilla-y!)

1/4 cup flour

1/4 heaping teaspoon of baking powder

pinch of salt

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 2 liners.

In a bowl, add egg white and sugar and whisk until combined. Add in vanilla and melted butter and stir until mixed. Add flour, baking powder and salt and stir until smooth. Stir in milk. Divide batter equally between the 2 cupcake liners.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until cake is set. Let cool completely, then frost as desired. 

Contemplations on Chocolate: Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe

First off, chocolate is a must. Life would be incomplete without chocolate. I'm convinced that the world revolves around chocolate. I mean, where would we be without chocolate!

My mom has an apron--well-used and quite faded--that starts off with "Oh, how I love thee, chocolate! Let me count the ways: broiled, steamed, flambaéed, diced, braised..." It's probably the first apron I grab when I start to cook; I just love it!

Just this week I had some friends over for a New Year's Eve party and one friend showed up with 3 bars of Ghirardelli dark chocolate. I have to say that was a pretty wonderful hostess gift!

Now, on to the real reason for this post. This flourless chocolate cake will rock your world. It's from one of my favorite blogs, A Beautiful Mess. Go head over there and subscribe, like, follow, and pin their amazing projects, how-tos, gift ideas, recipes, and home make-overs. Or just hang out and you'll see some of their projects pop up on here.

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Flourless Chocolate (Coconut) Cake

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cakes via A Beautiful Mess

9 ounces dark chocolate (I used 3 of our Toasted Coconut bars)
6 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter

In a double boiler, or in the microwave, melt together the chocolate and butter. Allow to cool for a few minutes. In the meantime, separate the egg whites from the yolks. Add a small amount of the warm chocolate to the bowl with the yolks and stir to combine (this will temper the yolks). Then stir the yolks into the chocolate mixture.

Beat the egg whites until they become foamy. While the mixture is running, slowly add in the sugar. Beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

Generously butter the bottom and inside edges of a 10" springform pan—or, as I like to call it, a cheesecake pan. :) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 275°F for 45 minutes.

The cake should pull away from pan towards the end of baking. Allow to fully cool before you try to cut into the cake. Serve with a little more toasted coconut, fresh whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

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I made this cake just this afternoon and enjoyed it with a tall glass of cold milk. Delightfully moist, not-to-sweet, and not as dense as other flourless cakes.

Make this cake. Like now.

P.S. If you're looking for a chilled flourless cake (well it's more of a mousse) that would be perfect for Valentine's Day, try out this Flourless Red Wine Chocolate Cake.