Triple Chocolate Cupcakes
Posted by: Maggie
Things have been kind of cupcake heavy around here lately. Last month we had Annie's homemade funfetti, and my pumpkin spice cupcakes for two. A couple weeks ago, Annie shared some deeeelicious looking peanut butter cupcakes that had me wishing I lived up in NJ, just so I could try one.
Hopefully you guys are cool with the cupcake excess. I figure as long as
we're bombarding you with sweets, and not like...liver, or haggis
you'll keep coming back.
I made these cupcakes earlier this month for my dad's birthday, and we
were both in agreement that they're mighty tasty! They're a dark
chocolate cake, filled with a bittersweet chocolate ganache, and topped
with a chocolate sour cream frosting. They're intensely rich, but not
excessively sweet thanks to the use of bittersweet chocolate, and dark,
dutch-processed cocoa powder.
I hope all of our U.S. readers have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow with your friends and families! Don't forget to enter our Anthropologie apron giveaway if you haven't already. The winner will be randomly selected next week!
For the cupcakes (yields 13-14)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
For the ganache filling:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
For the frosting:
(if you don't like a 1:1 cupcake to frosting ratio like me, cut this recipe in half!)
14 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted after measuring
6 tablespoons dutch-processed cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons full-fat sour cream
To make the cupcakes, adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position,
and preheat the oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees if using a non-stick
cupcake tin.) Line 14 cupcake wells with paper liners. Important note:
obviously this recipe makes too much batter for one cupcake pan. I do
not recommend baking the extra cupcake pan containing two liners at the
same time as the full pan. The cupcakes will bake unevenly.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa.
Microwave on 50% power for 30-second increments, stirring every 30
seconds until completely melted. Set aside to cool until slightly warm
to the touch.
In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder to combine.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer on low speed. Add in
sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat until fully incorporated. Add cooled
chocolate mixture, and beat until combined. Pour about one-third of the
flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Beat until just combined, and
then mix in the sour cream. Add in the remaining flour mixture, and beat
on low speed until just combined. The batter will be thick and
mousse-like.
Divide the batter evenly among cupcake tins. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or
until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Be careful not to overbake!
Cool cupcakes completely before filling with ganache and frosting.
To make the ganache, combine the chocolate and heavy cream in a
microwave-safe bowl. Heat on full power in the microwave for 30-45
seconds. Stir, and continue heating at 15 second increments until fully
melted. Remove from the microwave, and transfer to freezer. Allow the
mixture to chill for 30 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes to promote even
cooling. When the mixture has cooled and thickened, and is no longer
runny, fill the cupcakes.
To fill the cupcakes, remove the core using one of the many handy
cupcake coring doodads on the market these days (I got one at Target for
about $6,) or just use a knife. Or an apple corer, whatever strikes
your fancy. Fill the hole in the cooled cupcakes with the ganache, and
set aside while you make the frosting.
To make the frosting, add the chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl, and
microwave on 50% power for 30 second increments, stirring after each
increment until chocolate is completely melted. Set aside to cool until
barely warm. (This is important - if you add it to the other ingredients
when it's too warm it will melt the butter and ruin your frosting!)
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese for 3 minutes,
until pale and fluffy. Slowly mix in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder,
and salt. Beat in the cooled, melted chocolate, and lastly, the sour
cream. Continue beating on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and
thoroughly combined. Use immediately, and refrigerate any leftover
