It started with a search for cupcakes on Cook's Country. This Chocolate Cream Cupcake popped up. It is obviously the Hostess CupCake they were going for. I decided it was perfect for a birthday cupcake. Any adult knows that when you see that white doodle on top there is more waiting in the middle, but my girls were surprised!
It started with a rich instant espresso amped up chocolate cupcake. Not only that but semisweet chocolate chips and sour cream, all together created a really deep and complex chocolate cupcake. This is no box chocolate cake, there is real flavor here.
The creme filling is a butter/marshmallow creme confection that is syrupy sweet, but a perfect counterpoint to the complex chocolate cake. And this part reminds me of my grandma. This is how she perfected the cupcake. Cut out a cone from the top, cut off the tip of the cone to make room for a tsp or so of cream. Then pop the top back on. She always had a few of her cupcakes in the freezer for me... and cookies in the cookie jar... and usually bread baking in the oven too.
The glaze is simple, just butter and semisweet chocolate, but-who knew?- this creates the perfect ganache. My only tweak of the recipe? Double the amount. Maybe it was because I was licking too much off the spoon, but it just wan't enough. Then for the final step, a doodle of marshmallow creme on top. They don't look "perfect", but who wants perfect when you can have homemade?
CUPCAKES
- 1cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4teaspoon Salt
- 1/2cup boiling water
- 1/3cup cocoa powder
- 1/3cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1tablespoon instant espresso
- 3/4cup sugar
- 1/2cup sour cream
- 1/2cup vegetable oil
- 2large eggs
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3tablespoons water
- 3/4teaspoon unflavored gelatin
- 4tablespoon (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- Pinch salt
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4cups marshmallow crème
- 1/2cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1. MAKE BATTER Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 12-cup muffin tin. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in bowl. Whisk water, cocoa, chocolate chips, and espresso in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla and mix until combined. Whisk in flour mixture until incorporated. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out with few dry crumbs attached, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool -cupcakes in tin 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.
- 2. PREPARE FILLING Combine water and gelatin in large bowl and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave until mixture is bubbling around edges and gelatin dissolves, about 30 seconds. Stir in butter, vanilla, and salt until combined. Let mixture cool until just warm to touch, about 5 minutes, then whisk in marshmallow creme until smooth; refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. Transfer 1/3 cup marshmallow mixture to pastry bag fitted with small plain tip; reserve remaining mixture for filling cupcakes.
- 3. ASSEMBLE CUPCAKES Microwave chocolate and butter in small bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 30 seconds. Cool glaze to room temper-ature, about 10 minutes. Following photos 1 to 3 at left, cut cone from top of each cupcake and fill cupcakes with 1 tablespoon filling each. Replace tops, frost with 2 teaspoons cooled glaze, and let sit 10 minutes. Using pastry bag, pipe curlicues across glazed cupcakes. Serve. (Cupcakes can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.)
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