Pure Chocolate Cupcakes
CATEGORIES
INGREDIENTS
- Chocolate cupcakes:
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 11/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup coffee, at room temperature
- Chocolate ganache filling and drizzle:
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Topping:
- 21/2 cups cold heavy cream
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- prepareation
DIRECTIONS
- Make cupcakes: Position a rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin tin openings with paper liners.
- Melt unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler over hot but not simmering water, stirring it frequently until it is melted and smooth. Remove from over water and set aside to cool slightly.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In bowl of an electric mixer, using paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar until light and creamy. Mix in melted chocolate. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and continue beating until color lightens slightly, about 1 minute. Mix in sour cream. Mix in half of flour mixture, then coffee. Finally, mix in remaining flour mixture.
- Fill each paper liner with batter to just below the top of paper liner, about 6 tablespoons. Bake about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes for 10 minutes in pan set on a wire rack. Use a small knife to loosen any tops that might stick to top of pan. Invert cupcakes onto wire rack to cool completely.
- Make filling and drizzle: Place semisweet chocolate in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Heat cream and butter until cream just comes to a boil and butter melts. Pour hot cream mixture over chopped chocolate. Using a wire whisk, blend ingredients together until chocolate has melted. Stir in vanilla.
- Fill cupcakes: Set aside 1/2 cup of filling mixture (for whipping with topping) in a medium bowl to cool to room temperature. Set aside 3 tablespoons of filling mixture to use for drizzle.
- Cut a cone-shaped piece, about 11/4" across and 1" deep, out of center of top of each cupcake. Spoon remaining filling into each hole, a scant 11/2 tablespoons. Replace cone-shaped pieces. Some of filling may spread over middle of cupcake when top is replaced. Refrigerate filled cupcakes to firm filling, about 30 minutes.
- Make topping: In a large chilled bowl whip cream, confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla until firm peaks form when beaters are lifted.
- Whisk about 1 cup of whipped cream into reserved 1/2 cup of room temperature chocolate filling until no white streaks remain. Using a rubber spatula, fold chocolate mixture into whipped cream.
- Using a rubber spatula, scrape chocolate cream into a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip (such as Ateco #5) and swirl top of each cupcake with chocolate cream, about 1/3 cup per cupcake.
- Using a fork and reserved 3 tablespoons of chocolate filling, drizzle thin lines of chocolate over swirls of chocolate cream. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve cold.