wispa | Pink Stripes

I’m on a quest to perfect a cupcake recipe using English chocolate. I’ve mentioned Paul’s love of Wispa Bars before. And although he ranks Wispas #1, his love is not exclusive. He likes all Cadbury chocolate, including Dairy Milks. A Dairy Milk bar is Cadbury’s version of a milk chocolate bar.

My inspiration for the recipe came from Cadbury’s UK recipe website: Chocolate Cup Cakes. The cupcake I baked is an adaptation of King Arthur’s Flour Milk Chocolate Layer Cake. The frosting is great; a simple whipped chocolate ganache. I’ll use it again. The cake is tasty. Not perfect; it’s a bit dry. My quest for perfection continues…

Dairy Milk Chocolate and Wispa Cupcakes

You can find English chocolate at World Market or at your local gourmet grocer.

Ganache Frosting

6 ounces Cadbury Dairy Milk, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup heavy cream

Cupcakes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
3 ounces Cadbury Dairy Milk, chopped (about 1/2 cup) and melted
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup Cadbury Drinking Chocolate
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature

Topping

1 Wispa, chopped

Directions

1) For the ganache: Place the chopped Dairy Milk in a medium-sized bowl. Heat the cream until just boiling and pour over the chocolate. Slowly stir until completely melted and lump-free. Set the bowl in the fridge to chill while you make the cupcakes.

2) Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a standard 12 cupcake tin with liners.

3) In a medium bowl stir together: salt, flour, baking soda, and Cadbury Drinking Chocolate Set aside.

4) Place the oil, butter, sugar, and eggs in the bowl of your mixer. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.Add the melted Dairy Milk and vanilla. Mix for 1 minute.

5) Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear. Scrape down the bowl and add the buttermilk, mixing until incorporated, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients.

6) Pour the batter into the tins, and bake 15 to 17 minutes. The cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, with just a few moist crumbs.

7) Rest the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

8) To prepare the ganache: The chilled ganache should now be the consistency of chocolate pudding. Place it in the bowl of your mixer and whip with the whisk attachment until thick, light, and fluffy. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to fully incorporate all of the chocolate.

9)Place a dollop of frosting on each cupcake and top with chopped Wispa.

Yield: 12 cupcakes.

Photos by Paulrus

Paul introduced me to Wispa chocolate bars. He goes crazy for them. His whole family goes crazy for them. When relatives visit from England they bring bags of Wispas and other English chocolate treats. I think it’s a requirement for allowing them to visit. When Cadbury, the maker of Wispas, discontinued the brand in 2003 there was a massive uproar in the UK which spawned a successful internet campaign to bring the bar back.

It used to be tricky to find Wispas in the States, hence the hoarding by Paul and his family. Now you can find Wispas at any World Market or gourmet grocery. Because of this, Paul subtly (not) suggests baking with his favorite candy bar. I successfully baked Wispa Chip Cookies–Alton Brown’s The Chewy subbing chopped up Wispas for the chocolate chips. Unfortunately this was done before I returned to blogging and I can’t share the results with you. I can, however, share these glorious Wispa Brownies.

I made the Classic Brownie recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking…From My Home to Yours subbing the chopped up Wispas for walnuts. I think the next time I make these brownies I will leave the bars whole or use 4 bars instead of THE LAST TWO BARS in the house. The chopped up Wispas got a little lost in the brownie goodness.

Anne Strawberry hosted the recipe when the Tuesdays with Dorie Bakers blogged about Classic Brownies in September of 2011. You can find the recipe HERE.