Okay, I may have to stop reading the news more than once a day. The virus reports all seem bad. Yesterday, in response to all the reported problems, I was craving comfort and, in particular, chocolate comfort. My husband really likes cupcakes. So, I decided that, instead of heating up the oven and making a big batch of chocolate cupcakes, I'd rev up the air fryer and make one giant cupcake. Rather than frost the cupcake, though, I made a crumble topping--kind of like Oreo cookies minus the filling and crumbled up and baked on top of the cupcake. The giant cupcake turned out moist and rich tasting but still fairly light in texture thanks to the buttermilk in the batter. The crumble topping was incredibly good, and no frosting was necessary. In fact, the Giant Chocolate Comfort Crumble Cupcake provides the double benefit of a cupcake and cookies. What more culinary comfort could you want? Although a big scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside pieces of the cupcake might provide it. No, my giant cupcake did not make the news any better. That will take time, work on all our parts, and a lot of prayer. Nonetheless, in the meantime, the cupcake made a bad day at least a little better.
Giant Chocolate Comfort Crumble Cupcake -- Serves 4+
Cupcake Batter
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup of canola oil
2/3 cup of buttermilk
1/3 cup of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of espresso powder
3/4 cup of flour
1 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Crumble Topping
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of oats (quick oats are fine)
1/4 teaspoon of espresso powder
In a bowl or 4-cup measure, whisk together the sugars, egg, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, cocoa powder, and espresso powder until well blended and you don't feel the gritty texture of the sugar. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended. Spritz a 6-inch round cake pan (2-inches deep) with baking spray (or use non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle in some flour to coat the sides and bottom of the pan, tapping out the excess). Pour in the cupcake batter. In the same bowl or measure you used for the batter, combine all the crumble ingredients and mix them until the butter has melded into the other ingredients and you have some large and small crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs, which will be dark, chocolate-brown, evenly on top of the cupcake batter. Spritz the top of the crumbs with non-stick cooking spray (this keeps them from blowing off the cupcake in the air fryer). Place the filled cake pan in the air fryer and cook the crumble at 320 degrees for about 35 minutes or until the crumble is dark, dark brown and a pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with not wet batter attached. Let the cupcake cool 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Serve the cupcake warm, preferably with ice cream melting alongside! Do not, not eat all the cupcake yourself. Share it with someone else who needs comfort.
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