A Keeper?

I actually made these cupcakes last Saturday for lunch at my family friends' the next day. Ever since I saw the recipe here, I'd wanted to try to make some as it sound promising. And, I only snapped a shot of ONE lonely cupcake because I'd brought its siblings to the lunch.

I did modify the original recipe as I could already picture that the cupcakes would turn out to be overly sweet if I hadn't reduced the sugar. That reduction of sugar was also necessary as I used semisweet chocolate. They were still pretty sweet even though I'd reduced the 200g sugar to 120g!

Also, omit the almond extract if you're not a big fan of it. I wonder if I'd overbaked the cupcakes because the recipe asks us to bake them till they feel barely set in the middle. Taking into account that my naughty oven tends to overheat, they'd already "puffed up" by 20-minute mark! And when I took them out of the oven, their surface was still sort of wet--but didn't exactly fit the description in the recipe. Was this supposed to happen?


Anyhow, I personally think that these cupcakes are best served warm or at room temperature on the day they were made. That's because when I had them the next day, I found their texture to have become a little on the dense side. Still, it wasn't all that disappointing: these snack cakes are definitely moist thoroughout because of the use of yogurt. So, a keeper or not? You decide.

Bouchees Chocolat au Yaourt / Chocolate Yogurt Snack Cakes (adapted from David Lebovitz's The Sweet Life in Paris)
Yields 12 regular-sized cupcakes

200g bittersweet or semisweet chocolates, coarsely chopped
*I used semisweet ones, which wasn't recommended. So, please use bittersweet ones if you can.

125ml vegetable oil, divided

(A)
125ml plain yogurt
200g sugar (I'd suggest reducing to 120g; or else, they'd be TOO sweet!!!)
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

(B)
180g all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper cupcake liners or grease it well, then set aside till ready to use
2. Melt the chopped chocolates completely with half the vegetable oil in a double boiler till smooth, then remove from heat and set aside
3. Mix together the remaining half of the oil with (A)
4. On the other hand, combine together (B) and sift them into another mixing bowl.
5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, then pour in the wet mixture and stir twice. Then, followed by the melted chocolates and stir them all together until just smooth
6. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin holes, then bake for 25 minutes or till the cakes feel barely set in the middle
7. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack before serving
   *I let the cakes sit in the muffin pan for 10 minutes before removing them from the pan to cool completely on the wire rack.