Chocolate Fudge & Fig Cupcakes

Well, I promised you more small batch recipes, so here they come! These Chocolate Fudge & Fig Cupcakes are really decadent, so you’re going to be relieved that this recipe only makes around 6 of them.

I’ve been a bit fig befok since receiving a box of them from The Figary last week, but if you follow me on social media then you probably already know that. Working with fresh local produce is something that gets me very excited about what I do, as well as coming up with ways of championing the ingredients.

Getting to know the growers and producers is also exciting because much like the importance of knowing where your food comes from, it’s equally as important (to me, at least) to know WHO your food comes from. We too often take for granted what goes into growing food, because it’s a lot! I’ve grown my own vegetables from seed on an extremely small scale in comparison to commercial farmers, but I can tell you that even with a few planter boxes, that ish is not easy.

Much like it’s the role of the farmers and producers to supply us with food, our role as consumers is to undertand and respect where and whats goes into the food we buy and consume. Ask the questions, do the research and just put a little more thought into what you eat. I promise you it’ll add another layer to the enjoyment!

Using fresh seasonal fruit in baking and desserts adds another dimension to the flavour and makes them look picture-perfect. Figs are exceptionally beautiful, as you’ll also see from my Fig & Cherry Cakelette (which is proving to be a hit recipe!) Pairing them with chocolate is also a very good idea, especially the Chocolate Fudge Icing I used here. You’re going to want to bookmark the icing recipe alone because it’s a winner!

If you’d like to get your hands on some fresh figs you can find The Figary’s list of stockists around South Africa here.

Small Batch Chocolate Fudge & Fig Cupcakes

This recipe makes around 6 medium-sized cupcakes. If you’d like to make larger ones then use a large muffin tin and liners, then work on about 4. You can also easily double the recipe if you want to make a larger batch, even though you’re missing the point of small batch, but whatevs, I won’t judge you. A word of warning as well – do not overfill your cupcake liners, this mixture will rise and overflow if you aren’t careful, so don’t go over the halfway mark!

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup Greek yoghurt
• 1/3 cup cake flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3-4 fresh figs, sliced in half

Chocolate Fudge Icing

• 125g butter, soft
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 3 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 75 g dark chocolate, melted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a greased or non-stick cupcake tin with around 6 cupcake liners.
2. Place the egg, sugar, sunflower oil, vanilla extract and Greek yoghurt in a medium-size mixing bowl and mix with a hand-held mixer until completely combined – around 1 minute.
3. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix again until everything is combined. The mixture will be thick, so use a spatula to give it one last mix and scrape down the sides of the bowl to make 100% sure everything has been combined.
4. Fill each of the liners until half-full. If you have extra batter then pop another liner into the tin and fill that one! Remember not to overfill, otherwise, you will be sad.
5. Place the tray in the oven and bake for around 20 – 25 minutes.
6. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for around 10 minutes, then carefully remove and let them further cool down completely on a wire rack. If your cupcakes sink a little in the middle, don’t freak out. I baked these a couple of times while I was testing the recipe and it just adds to their dense and fudgy charm – plus you cover them with delicious icing.
7. While the cupcakes are cooling make the icing by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and mixing with a hand-held mixer until completely combined.
8. Place the icing into a piping bag if you’re going that route, or just leave in the mixing bowl and pop into the fridge to firm up a bit before decorating the cupcakes, as it can be a bit “sloppy” due to the melted chocolate.
9. Once the cupcakes are completely cool you can decorate them with the icing and top with a sliced fig.