Chocolate Cupcakes, Joy of Cooking

Chocolate Cupcakes:

1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 cup boiling hot water

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly butter, or line 16 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a small bowl stir until smooth the boiling hot water and the cocoa powder. Let cool to room temperature.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Then in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.

Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full with batter and bake for about 16-20 minutes or until risen, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing.

Double Chocolate Malt Shop Cupcakes with Cherry-Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

This recipe won the Ultimate Recipe Showdown on the Foodnetwork

NOTE: I made some minor modifications, found in blue.

For cupcakes:1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar **Modifications: added an extra 1/3 cup of sugar making a total of 2/3 Cup of sugar1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup whole milk **Modification: I used heavy whipping cream in place of the whole milk.
2/3 cup malted milk powder (recommended: Carnation brand)
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
2/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

For buttercream:4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

**modifications: I also added 1 teasp of Almond extract3 to 4 tablespoons whipping cream
2/3 cup tart cherry preserves **modifications: I used approx 1 cup of Cherry preserves.

**Modification: I added approx 3 tablespoons of Meringue powder to thicken frosting for piping.Malted milk balls or maraschino cherries, for garnish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 regular 12-cup cupcake tins with paper liners (makes 18 cupcakes)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until well blended.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, malted milk powder, and espresso powder.

Add the canola oil and eggs; whisk to blend. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and beat until smooth.

Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until well combined.

Stir in the miniature chocolate chips.
Divide the batter among the prepared cupcake tins, filling only halfway full.

Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 17 minutes, until they spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean.

Prepare the buttercream:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar and the butter on medium-low speed until well blended. **Personally I beat the butter for approx 10 minutes before adding in the sugar then add in the sugar a little at a time and revving up my mixer for a few seconds between each add.

Add the vanilla and whipping cream and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light, spreadable and fluffy. Add in meringue powder at this point if needed (will make your frosting crust just a little bit).

Beat in the cherry preserves until well incorporated.

When the cupcakes have finished baking, let sit in the pans for 2 minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to wire racks to cool for 10 minutes more.

While the cupcakes cool, transfer the buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.**I used a 1M tip & placed the filled pastry bag in the fridge for a few minutes before frosting.

Garnish the top of each cupcake with a malted milk ball or cherry and serve.

**I would say overall this is a good recipe, I love the cupcakes but need to tweak the butter cream a little more, still not able to get that Cherry topping taste without all that sugar flavor.

The next time I make these cupcakes I am going to try and bring up the flavor of the Malt a bit. Yummy!

Kahlua Cupcakes and 2 kinds of Frosting

*Click on picture for larger view

Here are a few cupcakes I made this weekend. As you can see I am trying out new frosting recipes and designs. I think this Butter Cream Dream frosting has become my favorite for piping cupcakes and this Kahlua Chocolate Cupcake recipe is a keeper. The Kahlua Butter Cream frosting is good too. Below I have listed the recipes for you.

Kahlua Chocolate Cupcakes

3 eggs, separated
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter (salted)
1 cup light brown sugar, packed (I used dark brown sugar which works too)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup strong cold coffee
3/4 cup Kahlua

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites until frothy; then beat in sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Sift flour, cocoa and baking soda together. Add to creamed mixture alternately with coffee and Kahlua; blend well. Fold egg whites into batter. Fill prepared cupcake cups to 3/4 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from tins and cool on rack completely before frosting. Makes 2 dozen standard-sized cupcakes, or 52 mini cupakes.

Kahlua Buttercream Frosting
6 Tbsp butter
3/4 lb. powdered sugar (original recipe: 1 lb.)
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 Tbsp. Kahlua
3 Tbsp. hot coffee

In large bowl, cream together butter and powdered sugar. Add cocoa powder, Kahlua and hot coffee. Beat until smooth. Frosts 2 dozen regular cupcakes, or 48 mini cupcakes (you can try to extend it to 52 minis).

Butter Cream Dream Icing

• 1 stick salted butter – room temperature


• 1 stick unsalted butter – room temperature


• 1 cup shortening


• 1 tablespoon Clear Vanilla extract


• 2 pounds confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar, 10x)


• 4-6 tablespoons very cold milk

Make sure you check out the directions here before you make this frosting-there is a good tutorial.
Method
Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the clear vanilla extract and combine well. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold milk… one tablespoon at a time, combining very well after each addition (mixer on medium-high to high speed) until you reach the desired consistency

The important thing is to work slowly when adding the milk. You can always add more… but you can’t take it away if you add too much and the icing is too thin. You want it to be thick enough to set up well… but you don’t want it so thick that you can’t pipe it out of a pastry bag or spread it with a spatula.
Yes, this recipe does make quite a bit but keep in mind you can refrigerate the icing in a covered bowl. I usually make a whole batch of it, transfer to a large mason-style jar and just leave it in the fridge. When I need to use it, I just take it out, bring it to room temperature and give it some mixing by hand.

Box-of-Chocolates Cupcakes

Box-of-chocolates cupcakes
By: Taste of Home Magazine Feb/March 2010

Cupcakes
1 pkg (18-1/4 oz) Devil’s food cake mix
1-1/3 cups of strong brewed Coffee
3 Eggs
½ Canola oil

Chocolate-Coffee Filling

8 oz bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
3 Tblsp. Sugar
4 Tblsp. Strong brewed Coffee (divided if desired)
3 Egg yolks, beaten
1-1/2 cups Whipped topping (I used Coolwhip)

Ganache

4 oz bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
2 oz white baking Chocolate (for designs on the tops of the cupcakes)
¾ cup Heavy whipping cream (divided if making white for decorating)
2-1/2 teasp. Corn syrup (divided if making white for decorating)


In a large mixing bowl combine the cake mix, coffee, eggs and oil; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fill paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake @ 350 F for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the centers come out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans to a wire rack.

Melt chocolate, sugar & 3 Tblsp. of coffee and stir until smooth. (Recipe suggests a double boiler, I used the microwave on low and it turned out fine.)
Stir a small amount of the hot chocolate mixture into the beaten egg yolks then return all to a bowl (or pan if using a double boiler). Cook & stir for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture reaches 160 F.

Here is where I made changes:

You can divide this mixture into 3 separate bowls and flavor each differently as described in the magazine or place the entire chocolate mixture into one bowl and use the same filling for all of the cupcakes.

Now that all of the chocolate mixture is in a bowl add the remaining coffee and the whipped topping (all of it) and fold in until mixed then chill for 10 minutes.
Place the chilled chocolate mixture into a pastry bag with a small tip.

Modification: using a toothpick puncture the bottom of each cupcake liner after the cupcakes are baked so you can easily place the tip of your pastry bag into each cupcake, then fill.


Fill each cupcake by inserting the tip of the pastry bag into the bottom of the cupcake (where you have already made a small hole) and gently squeeze to fill until the top of the cupcake expand SLIGHTLY. (I bold this because it is quite easy to overfill and crack the top of your cupcake, just watch as you fill it will be easy to see the cupcake expand.)

For the ganache, place chocolates in separate small bowls.

Modification: I doubled the bittersweet chocolates, added all of the cream and all of the corn syrup to one bowl and did not use the white chocolate.

In a small saucepan bring cream just to a boil. Pour ½ of the cream over the bittersweet chocolate and the remaining cream over the white chocolate. Wisk until smooth.
Stir 2 teasp. corn syrup into the bittersweet chocolate and 2 teasp. corn syrup in to the white chocolate.
Cool, stirring occasionally until room temperature or until ganache thickens slightly.

Dip tops of cupcakes in to the bittersweet ganache and lift up using a swirling motion to remove excess chocolate. Use the white ganache to pipe designs on the tops of the cupcakes if desired.

Refrigerate until set.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.


**I have added the other filling option recipes for you to try
FILLINGS:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons strong brewed coffee, divided
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons thawed orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons chocolate hazelnut spread
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
1-1/2 cups whipped topping

Divide mixture among three small bowls. Into one bowl, stir orange juice concentrate. Stir hazelnut spread and cream into another; stir remaining coffee into the third bowl. Fold 1/2 cup of whipped topping into each. Chill for 10 minutes.