Decadent Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

For a recent get-together, I knew I wanted to make truly delicious chocolate cupcakes.  Chocolate by itself was not enough.  Chocolate mousse?  Yes.  Dark chocolate ganache?  Absolutely!  Dark chocolate is not for the faint of heart. These cupcakes are for lovers of sinfully rich desserts.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Mousse Filling, Dark Chocolate Ganache and Nutella Buttercream
Cupcakes:
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
3 eggs
1/s cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon chocolate extract (can substitute more vanilla)
3/4 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dark chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325.  Line cupcake pans.

2. Melt chocolate.  This can be done on low, using a microwave and stirring often, or with a double boiler.  I heated a small amount of water to boiling, then set my pot on top.  Add the first 3 ingredients to pot.  Stir with wooden spoon until melted.

3. Using electric mixer, blend sugar, eggs, and extracts.  Beat until mixture thickens, from 3-5 minutes.  Then, pour the melted chocolate in, and blend until combined.

4.  In separate bowl, combine cake flour & baking soda.  Whisk, then gradually add this to the batter, mixing about 30 seconds after adding the flour.  Finally, add chocolate chips.  Blend for 15 seconds.

5.Fill cupcake tins about half full.  Bake cupcakes for about 25 minutes.  They are done when a toothpick inserted comes out cleanly.  Cool on wire racks.

Dark Chocolate Mousse:

2 ounces semisweet chocolate (coarsely chopped)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (coarsely chopped)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 T sugar
1 T Godiva liqueur

1. Put chocolate in large metal bowl.
2. Heat 1/2 cup heavy cream and sugar to boiling-but stir and watch carefully or it will burn.  Remove from heat, add liqueur, and pour over chocolate.  Stir well.

3. Using electric mixer, whisk 1 cup heavy cream on HIGH.  (Note; if you do not make whipped cream within a few minutes, throw it out and start again).  Fold in melted chocolate until combined.

4.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to set, about 45 minutes.

Dark Chocolate Ganache

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 ounces sweetened chocolate
1 cup heavy cream

1. Heat cream in saucepan over medium hat to boiling.  Keep careful watch on pot.
2. Pour cream over chocolate, stirring well.
* Depending on desired consistency, you may need to add more cream.

Nutella Buttercream (from Inquiring Chef)
1  jar Nutella (13 ounces)
1 stick butter softened
1-2 cups powdered sugar
Splash milk, as needed

Using electric mixer, blend Nutella and butter u\ntl smooth.  Gradually add sugar until desired consistency is achieved,

Garnish:
Toast chopped hazelnuts on low setting.

ASSEMBLY:
Using small paring knife, carve out 1-inch diameter holes from cupcakes.  Save tops-place them next to each cupcake.

Fill centers with about 1 tablespoon chocolate mousse.  Find top, chop end to make smaller, set on top of hole.

Dip cupcakes into ganache carefully, to keep top on.  Slowly rotate top through ganache.

Once ganache sets, using a piping bag, frost top with Nutella buttercream.  Sprinkle toasted hazelnuts on top for garnish.

ENJOY!

Dessert Idea

Brownie heart shell filled with chocolate ganache!  So cute, so delish.  If you happen to have a heart-cupcake pan, this is a fun way to shape brownies as well.  Once they come out, smoosh down the middle to make room for the ganache (heavy cream +chocolate chips).  I dusted powdered sugar and mini chips on top.  Rich & satisfying for a chocolate craving.

Baby, Its Cold Outside

I'm running just a but hyper-energized, what with receiving my certification, nabbing a job (tutoring community college students), and an interview at an ACTUAL SCHOOL.  I've already vacuumed my carpet to a beautiful fluffy finish, so alas, more blogging!

Today's topic? Hot Chocolate Cupcakes!

The inspiration for this cupcake came many moons ago.  My super fabulous Uncle mike tipped me off to the cupcakes at..Wegman's.  Yea that's right-the grocery store.  During our Christmas food shopping, I mosied on over to the confections case and checked out the cupcakes.  They had an adorable marshmallow & chocolate cupcake, with all sorts of pretty piping.  And the idea hit me like a flash: make this at my former workplace (my home away from home, and use chocolate lava cake, to make it seem like hot chocolate.

Any chocolate cupcake recipe works here.  I used the gluten-free lava cake recipe from The Cupcake Diaries.

The key to gluten-free?  Read the directions before you mix.  Over-mixing the flour makes it look very odd.

I consider myself a professional children's baker.  Having made dozens of cupcakes with kids, I know what elements make for the most fun.  The oven at school hates me, and I burned half the stuff I made, so sometimes, I baked at home.  How are pre-made cupcakes fun for kids?  You need multiple steps and components to engage the kids and teach them techniques at the same time.

First, we made the marshmallow buttercream.  This consists of a jar of fluff, a few tablespoons of sour cream, and a little vanilla.  The toughest part for me is getting it out of the container.  But once you do, you're set.

Next, we set up an assembly line.  The kids had to core the middle from their cupcake (or have my wonderful friend Miss Patty help) and spoon in warm chocolate ganache.  Then, they replaced the core, and frosted with the marshmallow buttercream.  Finally, they dusted the top with cocoa powder (just a smidge) and mini marshmallows.  The result?  A gooey, sticky, delicious mess that the munchkins loved.

Actual child's cupcake

For the Chocolate Obsessed...

I have been to Cupcakes, Actually, in Fairfax, VA, more than any other cupcakery.  I know many people who do not enjoy their cupcakes, for various reasons.  I plead with you, friends, to give them another chance, with their Death by Chocolae cupcake, on the menu this week.  It is choc-tastic.  Count Chocula would approve it.  The key to a truly spiritual cupcake experience is to taste the best that cupcakery has to offer, and for chocolate fans, this is IT.

Photo from cupcakesactually.com

12 days of Christmas: Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

The computer I am using to type this blog entry is pretty old.
                         In fact, when I got it, I looked like this:

I got my computer back in my Wahoowa days.  It was the fall of 2002, and I was in my first year at college, living in possibly the most amazingly decorated dorm room ever, with my awesome roomie Nitty.  I have no idea what paper I was writing at the time of the photo...it couldn't have been my History of the Middle East final, because I didn't even come up with a topic for that one until midnight, the day before it was due.  My first all-nighter made me feel like such a grown up, and so miserable, all at the same time.

So, why am I getting nostalgic about my time as an exhausted paper-writing undergrad?  Because my computer is about to breathe its last breath.  Thanks to an amazing entourage that has solved all my computer problems for nearly a decade, my computer still runs.  But not very well.  And once agsin, I have enlisted the assistance of a friend to switch from the dark ages, one-working-USB port-in-the-very-back computer to a brand new one!  I bribed hm with cupcakes.  Not just any cupcakes, but chocolate stout (Guinness) cupcakes.

The cupcake recipe I followed is from Baked Perfection (under Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes.)

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

1 cup Guinness

1 cup butter

3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

Diections:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with liners. Bring Guinness and the butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.  Then, add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Allow to slightly cool.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a  medium bowl.  In another bowl, combine eggs and sugar, and beat with an electric mixer.  Add the beer/butter.cocoa mixture to the creamed egg/sugar.  Then, add the dry ingredients, a little at a time, stopping to scrape down the bowl.
Scoop about 1/3 cup batter in each liner.  Bake 18-20 minutes. This batter is runny, so use a stick to test.  When it comes clean, the cupcakes are done.

I *had* a fabulous idea for a Guiness-reduction buttercream.  But I think I reduced it too much.  I read that if you add a tablespoon of sugar to about a bottle of Guiness, and simmer it until it reduces to about a tablespoon of liquid, you add this to frosting for beer flavor.  I would have reduced it to more liquid, because you could not really taste the Guinness in the frosting.  And the frosting was not fabulous anyway, so I used it as glue for the little Root Beer barrels. My plan B? I dipped the cupcakes in dark chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Ganache:
I heated about a cup of heavy cream in a pot on the stove.  When it was hot, but not boiling, I added broken up Ghiradelli 60% Cocoa bar, and stirred until melted.  Dark chocolate ganache=heaven!

To garnish, I added Root Beer Barrel candies benetah a ball of frosting and some chopped nuts. Yummy!

The Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

This past weekend, I decided to jet back up to NYC for 24 hours for some fun spontaneity with friends.  I did NOT anticipate we would eat cupcakes.  But as we walked through the city, Dev decided she needed a sweet treat from Magnolia.  On our way there, we ran across another cupcakery-Red Velvet West Side Bakery!!  This place has only been open for a few months.

We quickly selected three cupcakes to share.  First, we tried hummingbird. 

This cake traditionally contains pecans, pineapple, and banana.  This cupcake tasted old-the frosting separated as a solid chunk and fell off the cupcake.  It had a dry texture.  Not our fave.  I like the garnish, though.

Next, we chose what else?  Red Velvet! 

 This cupcake was dry and had hard frosting.  It also lacked flavor, which prompted a discussion amongst us about what goes into red velvet cake.  We were getting disheartened.

But THEN, came this delicious, rich, decadent, mouth-watering chocoalte layer cake cupcake.  AMAZING.  It tasted fresh, it tasted better than it looked.  It made me happy.
You'd think that after all this cupcake action, we'd be full.
You would be wrong.
Next, we headed over to Magnola, which P.S. has a party room!  Talk about a dream birthday experienece.  But anyway, we browse all the yummy baked goods (including mini pumpkin pecan cheesecake with gingerbread crust) and select more cupcakes.  This time, I selected pistachio.

This was a tasty, nutty, not-too-sweet cupcake.  You know how drinking coffee and sweets do not mix?  Like if you sip coffee, then bite into something sweet, it makes the coffee taste bitter?  This cupcake would be a prfect companion to your morning cup o' joe.  It could even masquerade as a muffin.

This cupcake journey taught me that cupcakes are one of the few areas in life that I explore. I order crazy flavors, experiment with flavor combination I don't think I'd enjoy, and generally throw caution to the wind.  I was watching one of those VH1 specials about the greatest pop stars ever, and when they talked about The Who, they said they are amazing because they let you break free.  And it hit me that's what I LOVE about cupcakes.  They let me break free.  Maybe the next time I bake I'll even play "Teenage Wasteland" for a truly liberating experience.