Angel Cakes

By: Jen Angel

Jul 06 2010

Tags: angelcakes, Chocolate, Cupcakes, salt, salted chocolate

Category: Cupcakes

2 Comments

OK, so I won’t say that the biggest food trend is salted chocolate, because we all know that it is bacon (in everything), but I’ve been seeing salted chocolate things everywhere.

For example. Last week I was in Detroit for the US Social Forum, and ate breakfast almost every day at the great Avalon International Breads. I mean, I still think about their “strawberry fields” bread (brioche with cream cheese and fresh strawberries). I also noticed their “salted chocolate chip cookies.” And of course there is the Vosges Barcelona Bar – milk chocolate, almonds, and sea salt and the Goji Bar – goji berries and pink salt (they have a bacon bar too).

Anyway, take my word for it, salted chocolate is now a “thing.” Think chocolate-covered pretzels, that mix of salty and sweet that so many people love. I decided to put it in a cupcake (a new flavor for me), and mixed large-crystal sea salt into the cake, and sprinkled some on top. I had to play with the proportions a bit, and it was interesting to see different people’s tolerance and desire for levels of saltiness. I thought they turned out great and will add them to my regular rotation. Maybe salted caramel is next?

If you search “salted chocolate cupcake” you’ll find that a lot of people were inspired by this blog, but I opted for a vanilla frosting instead of a chocolate ganache so the chocolate wouldn’t be too overwhelming. Like Anna suggests, I found that adding to the batter a teaspoon of extra salt per dozen cupcakes was about the right amount.  You could also experiment and use a smoked salt for a different, more complex taste.

As always, more photos on Flickr or in the Archive.