Chocolate Cupcakes
I've said it before and I'll say it again: If you aren't going to have all of the chocolate, you might as well have none of the chocolate.
Okay, so that's not always true. Vanilla frosting on chocolate cake (or vice versa) is a pretty awesome pairing - but it's not this. No, nothing is quite this.
A rich chocolate cupcake, filled with chocolate pudding, and topped with a sweet chocolate buttercream. In case that sounds overwhelming, the pudding actually cuts down some of the sweetness and breaks up the texture nicely.
It's hard to think these are the favourite dessert of someone who once, as a little girl, politely declined all the chocolate bars as she trick-or-treated during her first Halloween. How far we've come.
Check out more pictures and chocolate goodness over at Leanne Bakes!
Chocolate Cupcakes (and pudding filling directions)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp canola oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F and grease or line your muffin tin.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Add the eggs, water, buttermilk, and vanilla, and mix until the lumps are gone, scraping the bowl as you go along.
Fill the muffin tins 3/4 full, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick pulls out clean.
Let cool.
To fill with pudding, slice off a circle in the top of the cupcake, much like you would when removing the top of a pumpkin for carving. Plop some pudding into the hole, and press the cupcake lid back down. Easy!
Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
3-4 cups icing sugar
4 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp vanilla
Directions:
Whip butter in bowl of a stand mixer.
Gradually add icing sugar and cocoa until desired consistency is reached.
If icing is too thick, add a tsp of milk or cream at a time until it softens.