Chocolate, Rum, and Mango... Cupcakes.

I am finally back from what seems like an eternity of not baking, though it's really only been about two weeks.  But they were the saddest two weeks I've had in a very long time - how can I be happy when nothing is coming out of my oven?  I even went through Valentine's Day and my own birthday with nothing to show for the occasions except some very loud and frequent coughing.  Yeah, I caught the flu.  And HOW can I bake when I know I won't be able to give any of my sweets away, for fear that they might get people sick?  I can't.  

I am happy to say that today was the first day in about two weeks that I have been both healthy enough and free enough to bake anything, and that I took full advantage of it!  I thought for a while about what I should bake, and I decided that I needed something with rum and chocolate.  Because after such a long period of sadness, let's face it - a girl really just needs some rum and chocolate.  And I had a couple mangos in my fridge that were aching to be eaten, so I figured I'd incorporate mango somehow, because mango+rum=mmmm.  

And then I realized that the Cupcake Hero theme this month was liquor, and that I had not yet missed the deadline (it's today, oh my!).  For those of you who don't know, this event is hosted by Laurie of Quirky Cupcake; every month, she picks a new ingredient that must be incorporated into cupcakes!  How awesome.  

So it seems that these Chocolate Rum Mango Cupcakes were destined to come out of my kitchen today!  =)

And they were pretty much amazing.  The cake part is chocolate and rum, and it is soaked in a mango rum glaze.  They are topped with whipped cream, fresh mango slices, and a bit of cocoa powder.  These were wonderful because the cake was fudgy and dense without being overly sweet, and the mango rum glaze gave it the extra sweetness and powerful rum flavor that it needed!  The whipped cream and fresh mango added something refreshing to every bite, without being overly rich.  Ahhhh I am so happy I can finally bake again... I gave these all away today, watched people enjoy them, and remembered why I love being not sick!!

For the cupcakes (adapted from this recipe on epicurious)

4 oz semisweet chocolate

8 oz bittersweet chocolate

3/4 c butter

8 tbsp rum

8 eggs, separated

3/4 cups granulated sugar

4 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Chop the chocolate into small pieces, and melt it in a saucepan with the butter and the rum.  

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the 1/2 cup of the sugar.  Then add the chocolate rum mixture and mix well.  Add the flour and salt and mix until incorporated.

In another mixing bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks.  Add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, and continue to whip the whites to stiff peaks.  Fold the whites into the rest of the batter until no streaks remain.

Pour the batter into lined muffin tins, filling each cup about 3/4 of the way to the top.  bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  They'll shrink once you take them out of the oven, so be mentally prepared for that!  

Once they have cooled, use a fork to make lots of holes in them so that the glaze can soak through.

For the glaze:

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup rum

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup mango pulp

Combine butter, sugar, mango pulp, and 1/2 cup of the rum in a saucepan, and heat until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolved.  Then mix in the remaining 1/4 cup of rum and immediately remove from the heat (so the alcohol doesn't cook off - it's stronger that way!).  

Spoon the glaze over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in.  

For the topping:

1 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp granulated sugar

Fresh mango slices

cocoa powder

Whip the cream and sugar in a mixing bowl until peaks form.  Spoon the cream over the cupcakes.  Top with fresh mango slices.  Sprinkle some cocoa powder on top, and enjoy!

These are best eaten at room temperature, but should be stored in the refrigerator.