Chocolate might always be in season, but never more so than in mid-February, when heart-shaped boxes beckon from every checkout line and love is calibrated in cacao content. One of the best expressions of the flavor can be found in Kyotofu’s signature cupcake, almost imperceptibly enriched with soy milk, tofu, and just enough miso to give it a slight, delectable tang. -- Robin Raisfeld & Rob Patronite

Ingredients

2 cups dark chocolate (preferably Valrhona pellets, 64 percent)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon white miso (available at Sunrise Mart, 4 Stuyvesant Sq., second fl.)
3 eggs
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup Japanese bread flour (available at Sunrise Mart)
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)

Instructions

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. (Published 2009)