Chocolate Xtreme Cupcakes

Chocolate Cake with Chips in the batter, Filled with Whipped Ganache, dipped in Ganache, Frosted with Dark Chocolate Frosting, and Garnished with Chocolate Curls. 

I have been dreaming up this perfect chocolate cupcake for weeks now, and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to actually put it all together. My boyfriend had a potluck lunch at his work today, and since he is now 'the cupcake guy' at Toyota (thanks to all the cupcakes I send with him), I just had to make some for him to bring. (The red liners were for Toyota spirit).

Step 1: Bake Chocolate Cake (my go to chocolate cupcake is posted here). Add about 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter.

I got impatient and stuck the cupcakes in the freezer to cool. They have to be completely cool before filling.

Baked and Cooled Cupcakes

Step 2: Make a Semi-Sweet Ganache (2 ways)

• 2 bars Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate (8 oz)
• 1 1/3 C Heavy Cream
• 4 T butter

1. Heat the cream in a saucepan until it simmers
2. Add in the butter and cook until melted
3. Pour over chocolate and stir together
4. Divide into 2 bowls
5. Put one bowl in an ice bath and whisk until cooled and fluffy (for filling)
6. Set other bowl aside (for dipping)

Yummy Ganache for Dipping

Step 3: Fill Cupcakes with Whipped Ganache

1. I used a Bismark Tip (Wilton #230) to fill them. 
2. Put your fluffy Ganache into a piping bag. 
3. Insert tip into center of cupcake. 
4. Squeeze some filling into center, you have to guess because you can't see how much is going in. 

Alternatively, you can use a paring knife to cone out the cupcake, add the filling, then replace the top. I find that it makes a mess if you do it that way, and the Bismark Tip is well-worth getting!

Filling the Cupcakes

Step 4: Dip the Cupcakes

Simply dip the cupcakes into the Ganache that you set aside. Make sure its still warm, or heat it up some. Don't worry about it looking pretty, because it will get covered in frosting. 

After getting dipped

Step 5: Prepare Frosting 

I took Martha Stewart's Ultimate Chocolate Frosting and altered it a bit to give it a dark chocolate flavor, turned out even better than I expected!

• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Combine the powdered sugar and cocoa powder
2. Add the butter, milk, and vanilla
3. Beat until Smooth
4. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin.
5. Pipe onto dipped cupcakes (I used my Wilton #1M tip)

Step 6: Sprinkle some chocolate curls on top. I picked mine up at Dierberg's when I ran across them. I was originally planning on sprinkling some chocolate jimmies on top, but the curl's ended up being the perfect garnish. 

The finished product!

Step 7: Enjoy! (you may need a glass of milk, as these are super rich and chocolaty!)

The inside, to see the filling

I had a half of one last night, and literally was dreaming of it while I slept, it was that good!

Yummy Biscoff Spread

Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Whipped Biscoff Ganache

My new cupcake boxes! Love em!!

If any of you have ever flown on Delta Airlines, you probably have had Biscoff cookies. They give them out as an option instead of peanuts, and I always choose the cookies! They are delicious little spice cookies and I recently found out that they make a spread out of them! It has a consistency similar to peanut butter, but you have to order it. Apparently it’s pretty popular in Europe.

Once the glass jars of Biscoff arrived, I scoured the internet to find the perfect recipe where I could use it. I landed on Biscoff’s website; a recipe for whipped Biscoff Ganache. They had it on Devil’s food cake, but I wanted a recipe that had reviews so I knew it was good. I got the Cupcake recipe from Chockylit.

Devil's Food Chocolate Cupcakes (from Chockylit)
makes 24 cupcakes

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Measure out everything but the eggs directly into your mixer bowl.
2. Mix on low speed just until incorporated.
3. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
4. Add eggs; beat on high speed again for 2 minutes.

Scoop batter into lined cupcake pans. Bake for about 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly in the pan then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.

I had a little problem with mine, the tops overflowed so it stuck to the pans. Make sure not to fill cups too high. I was also worried because they came out really flat:

But they ended up tasting great! They were very light and fluffy!

Whipped Biscoff Ganache (adapted from Biscoff's Website)

• 4.5 ounces bittersweet (70% cacao) chocolate, chopped (OR ¾ cup chips) 
• 4.5 ounces milk (40% cacao) chocolate, chopped 
• one 14-ounce jar Biscoff spread (order it here)
• 1 2/3 cups heavy cream, cold
• 1/2 C to 1C powdered sugar

Making the Whipped Biscoff Ganache:

1. Place both chocolates in the top of a double boiler set over hot water and allow to melt, stirring often.
2. Remove from heat and whisk in the Biscoff spread.
3. Add the heavy cream and with the help of an electric mixer, whisk until soft peaks form.
4. Add powdered sugar until frosting becomes thicker. You may need to pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes.
5. Pipe onto cupcakes

You need to store these in the fridge for a few hours before serving so the frosting hardens up a bit.

Yummy little cupcakes! Mom even ate a whole one(almost)!! (she usually can only handle a tiny bite of chocolate, I know, crazy right?)

 

Irish Car-Bomb Cupcakes

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes filled with Ganache and topped with Irish Whipped Cream Frosting 

My first experiences with baking with alcohol was through my Champagne Frosting adventures (more to come on that subject later), and then just recently with my white wine frosting. I’ve never tried to bake it in, but I recently came across a recipe from the Craving Chronicles and decided to use it in conjunction with a Bailey’s Whipped Cream Frosting from the Cupcake Project.

At first bite, the cupcakes were quite boozy! I’m hoping that as they settle they will get better. The Bailey’s Frosting was divine, I could eat it with a spoon, no cupcakes needed!

Update 10/6/11: The cupcakes were 100% better the next morning! The strong alcohol flavor has subsided and you are left with a subtle hint of Bailey's. The Ganache blended really well into the rest of the cake. Everyone loved them at work (took them to a staff meeting) and only have one or two left! If you are worried about the alcohol flavoring, or don't want to leave them in the fridge overnight,  leave the whiskey out of the Ganache, that's where the strong flavor came from. 

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes (From the Craving Chronicles)
1 cup Guinness
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup full-fat sour cream

Ganache Filling
 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (I used Jameson, and had to buy some so now I have an almost full bottle in my cabinet!)

Baileys Frosting (from the Cupcake Project)
4 C heavy whipping cream
1 1/3 C sugar
4 T Bailey’s Irish Cream

Step 1: Make the cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners.
2. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
4. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend.
5. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend.
6. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine.
7. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed.
8. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined.
9. Fill cupcakes and bake for about 17 minutes.

Step 2: Make the filling:
1. Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl.
2. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth.
3. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.

Step 3: Fill the cupcakes:
1. Let the Ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (I put mine in the freezer for about 5 minutes, stirred, then put back in freezer for 5 more minutes)
2. Cut a conical shape out of the cupcakes
3. Put the Ganache into a piping bag, cut the corner off, and pipe into cupcakes
4. Remove excess cupcake from core, and replace the top

Filled Cupcakes:

Step 4: Make the Frosting: 
1. Whip heavy whipping cream until it looks like whipped cream.
2. Mix in sugar and Bailey’s Irish Cream until just combined.
3. Pipe onto cupcakes
4. Garnish with Chocolate Shavings

The finished product: