If you like chocolate then you will love these cupcakes. It starts with a Chocolate Cupcake, add a little Chocolate Ganache and top it off with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.After the cupcakes were baked and cooled, I used a serrated knife to cut a small cone out of the center of the cupcake. The hole is then filled with Chocolate Ganache, and then topped off with the frosting. It's like a fudgey surprise in every bite :)
Chocolate Cake
350 degrees. bake time: 20-30min
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp almond extract
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup baking cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cup buttermilk
-Beat sugar, butter, vanilla, almond. Add eggs one at a time
-Mix flour, baking soda, cocoa and salt
-Add dry ingredients into sugar mixture alternating with buttermilk
*when alternating always start with dry and end with dry ingredients*
-Prepare cupcake tins pour batter into cups
This recipe makes about 3 dozen cupcakes or 3 8-inch round cakes. This is the same chocolate cake recipe I used for the Mountain Man Cake.
Chocolate Ganache
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy/whipping cream
6 tbs butter
In a double boiler melt chocolate and whipping cream- whisking constantly. Once melted add in butter and whisk until smooth. Take off heat and let cool before using.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
3/4 cup shortening (I use Crisco)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup (give or take) Whipping cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cocoa powder
1/4 cup chocolate syrup (if you have it handy)
about 1/4 cup chocolate ganache
Beat shortening, butter and vanilla until creamy- mix in chocolate ganache. Slowly add powdered sugar and cocoa. Add chocolate syrup and whipping cream to reach the best frosting consistency. Depending on how chocolate-y you want the frosting, feel free to add more cocoa powder, syrup or ganache.
*You can also just use melted chocolate chips if you haven't made the ganache.
