Remember when I went on that wonderful dessert tour of NYC not so long ago?  Well, I was sitting around and reminiscing about those wonderful chocolate souffle cupcakes from Kyotofu, and majorly craving them.  They were voted the Best Cupcakes in NYC, and SO good!  They melt in your mouth like truffles, AND have tofu in them (which kind of makes them healthy)!  So I decided that I HAD to have some, even though I was on the West Coast and miles away from Kyotofu!  I mean, I have a kitchen, and I know how to make Chocolate Souffle, so it can’t be that hard, right?

…not really.  I tried variations of chocolate souffles, flourless chocolate cake, and even brownies, and then even combinations of the three, but nothing was right. They were all either too fudgy or too chewy or too crispy (well I think I overbaked that batch)… and if you think a chocolate souffle cupcake is just an overbaked chocolate souffle (like I did), let me tell you, you are wrong (overbaked chocolate souffles are not nearly as yummy as the real thing)!  so I went to plan B – digging around Google with my handy dandy digging around Google skills aquired from college!  I should’ve done this sooner, because I soon found the ACTUAL Kyotofu recipe! YAY!

mini-chocolate souffles cupcakes from kyotofu

I then proceeded to bake them, and they were SO delicious!  Not EXACTLY like the ones I had in NYC, but closer than anything I had tried.  I’m sure they’ll become perfection with more practice.  Here’s the recipe, so try it out for yourselves!  Just remember to use the best quality dark chocolate you can find, and to puree the tofu into smoothness BEFORE you blend it into the batter (I didn’t the first time… and ended up with tiny chunks of tofu in my cupcakes).  Oh, and the recipe says it makes 24 mini cupcakes, but I got 36 mini cupcakes.  The more the merrier!

Kyotofu’s Chocolate Souffle Cupcakes

2 cups dark chocolate (preferably Valrhona pellets, 64 percent)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon white miso
3 eggs
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup Japanese bread flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder (preferably Valrhona)
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup silken tofu
1/4 cup soy milk, unsweetened (preferably Vitasoy)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. (1) Melt chocolate, butter, and miso in double boiler over low heat, stirring occasionally. When only small lumps remain, remove from heat and stir until completely smooth. Whip eggs until they reach “ribbon stage,” then pour chocolate mixture into mixing bowl with the eggs, varying the mixing speed to incorporate chocolate. (2) Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, mixing together with hands or a whisk. Fold the dry ingredients into the chocolate, mixing until fully incorporated. Add tofu and soy milk slowly, mixing until fully incorporated. (3) Scoop batter almost to the top of 24 wax-lined mini–panettone cups (available at New York Cake & Baking, 56 W. 22nd St.) arranged on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating tray halfway through, until center springs back when touched. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired.