Millet Chocolate Chili and Cinnamon Cupcakes

This was quite an interesting experiment for me as I have never ever cooked with millet. In fact before I read a little on this grain online I never knew it existed. How I came to baking with this ingredient?

I had a grain salad while out for lunch recently and one of the ingredients was Freekeh, which I have had before but never knew what it was. I really liked the way the Freekeh was cooked and tasted in the salad and as I have dabbled with grain baking in the past (Quinoa Berry Christmas Cake as an example) I decided I wanted to experiment with this ingredients.

As I was doing my research into the Freekeh grain I came across the millet grain which is quite similar to couscous, which I have baked a cake with before.

I figured that as I had a Sunday free I would buy both ingredients and make Freekeh based cupcakes and Millet based cupcakes. Now they both have completely different textures and flavor profiles so the flavor pairings and base cupcake ingredients were different but the results were interesting.

The freekeh chocolate and peanut cupcakes were ok but I noticed over time the freekeh lost its softness and was too hard in the mix (maybe my fault for under cooking??).

The Millet cupcakes were vanilla and macadamia nut to enhance the millets nutty flavor…this was not an exciting cupcake to rave about. I then decided to use the millet as a texture not as a flavor profile and added chilli, chocolate and cinnamon to the mix. The outcome of this was great, the texture of the millet is really soft and light and adds a texture pop to the treat. As for the Freekeh…it may just be a lost cause but I’m sure I will try again in the near future.

 

Ingredients:

Millet:

• 180g millet
• 360g water
• 30g butter

Cake:

• 1 egg
• 100g sugar
• 90ml buttermilk
• 90ml canola oil
• 30g cocoa powder
• 1 tsn ground cinnamon
• 160g flour
• ½ tsn baking powder
• ¼ tsn bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch salt
• ¼ tsn chili powder

Frosting:

• 200g icing sugar
• 30g cocoa powder
• 100g butter
• ¼ tsn chili powder
• ½ tsn ground cinnamon

 

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 175c degrees and line a 12 capacity cupcake tin with patties.
2. Place the millet in a frying pan on high and stir until the millet is slightly golden.
3. Add 360ml water to the pan and turn the heat to a simmer stirring.
4. Add the butter, stir and leave the millet to 90% absorb the water.
5. Take the millet off the heat and leave aside to cool and absorb the liquid fully.
6. Place the egg and sugar in a bowl and using electric beaters whisk until pale and fluffy.
7. Add the oil and buttermilk and whisk for 1 minute.
8. Add the remaining ingredients (the dry ingredients), stir with a spoon until just combine.
9. Beat with the electric beaters until smooth and silky.
10. Add the cooked millet and beat until combine.
11. Pour the mix into the patties and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
12. Set the cooked cupcakes aside to cool.
13. To make the frosting place all the ingredients into a bowl and using electric beaters whisk until fluffy and combine.
14. Once the cupcakes are cooled using a piping bag and a star piping nozzle frost the cupcakes.
15. Enjoy.

 

Step 2

Step 11

Step 12

Step 13

 

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