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Spring is here. The sun is out, the cherry blossoms are blooming and the birds are chirping. Time to celebrate with the perfect cupcakes! But then again, when isn’t it a good time for cupcakes? Actually, I was looking to use up some ingredients I had: cream cheese leftover from making cheesecake and ganache I had prepared for chocolate-making but was too lazy/tired to do it. I found a recipe for cupcakes that are moist and extra sinful with the added cream cheese frosting. And considering this is only the third time I’ve ever made cupcakes in my life, I think they turned out pretty good!
The ingredients.
Cupcakes with surprise ganache centre.
Voila!
Devil’s food cupcakes with cream cheese frosting……
…with chocolate ganache and chocolate cream cheese frosting
Recipes (adapted from Martha Stewart):
Devil’s Food Cupcakes
- 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup hot water
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/4 tsp coarse salt
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth.
- In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter with sugar stirring to combine.
- Remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl.
- With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled (4-5 minutes).
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated.
- Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture and beat until combined.
- Reduce to low speed. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined.
- Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full.
- Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted in centers comes out clean (~20 minutes).
- Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.
- Spread cupcakes with frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 pound (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then vanilla; mix until smooth.
- Frosting can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; before using, bring to room temperature, and beat until smooth.
Notes and Tips:
Since I don’t have an electric mixer, all the mixing was done by hand with a whisk. I divided all the ingredients by 4 to make 6 cupcakes. You can use light sour cream for the cupcakes. If you don’t have a cooling rack, cool the cupcakes on the racks of a toaster oven. For the chocolate ganache frosting, I simply re-melted extra ganache I had in the fridge. To use up more ganache, I put some in the centre of the cupcakes for an added surprise. I also mixed some ganache with the cream cheese frosting to make chocolate cream cheese frosting.