Last weekend’s visit to Vanilla Bake Shop in Santa Monica left me thinking about dark chocolate cupcakes. I love the summer and all the fresh fruit that comes with it but I’ve been missing my chocolate. I was looking to create a decadent dark chocolate super moist cupcake. I think I may just have hit the nail on the head. I’m not crazy about buttercream so I’ve topped this cupcake off with a bittersweet ganache instead. Enjoy!
Sprinkles from Guittard. Can you see the difference? (This photo is from King Arthur Flour, where you can also order these sprinkles.)
Some notes before you bake:
* The batter is really liquid. Don’t panic. The cupcakes will turn out just fine.
* Use good quality chocolate for the best taste.
* Since making these cupcakes, I’ve come to realize that not all chocolate sprinkles are created equal. I used regular grocery store sprinkles. I only wish I had found these sooner: Guittard makes really fine chocolate sprinkles made with real chocolate and will make your cupcakes taste and look better.
Recipe (makes 12 regular cupcakes plus 24 mini cupcakes)
For the cupcakes:
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
8 tbs unsalted butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
6 oz fresh brewed coffee
1 egg
1 yolk
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup buttermilk
Sift together the sugar, flour, salt, and baking soda in an electric mixer bowl. Warm the butter, cocoa powder, coffee, and chocolate chips in a bain marie until the chocolate and butter are melted. Let the mixture cool and then add it to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Mix the egg, yolk, vanilla, and buttermilk together. Add the egg mixture to the other ingredients and mix to combine. Fill your muffin tins 2/3 of the way and bake at 350°F for 5-7 minutes or until they spring back when touched. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
For the ganache finish:
1/2 cup heavy cream
4.5 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
pinch of salt
Heat the heavy cream in saucepan just until it boils. Add a pinch of salt to the hot cream and then pour it over the chocolate chips in a bowl. Allow the mixture to sit for a minute and then gently stir it until the chocolate and cream come together to form the ganache. The ganache will thicken as it cools. When it has cooled, spoon it over the cupcakes or turn your cupcakes upside down and dip it into the ganache. Garnish with sprinkles if desired.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Swoon! These look absolutely incredible! I must give these a try as I adore anything with ganache. Also, thanks so much for the great instructions – it’s very helpful to this amateur baker!
Rachel
Wow! I’m totally drooling. You should try this recipe for sweet potato cupcakes- they’re my all-time favorites!