Sunday, August 19, 2018

DECADENT CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH FUDGE GANACHE


I love chocolate! In fact, I eat chocolate everyday. Literally.. Everyday… One piece… Like a vitamin! Let me explain. Years ago, a friend gave me a generous gift of various chocolates she had picked up while traveling all over Europe. I wanted to gobble them all down in one sitting! BUT…I decided to put them in fridge and enjoy them slowly, tasting one piece each day, until they were gone. Since then, I’ve developed the habit of eating a little piece of chocolate everyday. Eating chocolate not only makes me happy, it keeps the chocolate cravings to a minimum! There are obviously times, when a little piece of chocolate isn’t nearly enough. That’s when I make these go-to chocolate cupcakes. The fudge ganache adds richness [for those who are serious about chocolate]. However, these cupcakes are just as good with a light dusting of powdered sugar.

Key techniques to keep in mind when making this recipe:
Use quality ingredients
Bring eggs & buttermilk to room temperature
DO NOT OVERMIX
Disperse batter evenly
Preheat your oven
Bake cupcakes on the center rack in the middle of your oven
Allow cupcakes to cool a couple of minutes, then remove them from the tin

Enjoy!

DECADENT CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH FUDGE GANACHE
PREP TIME 10 mins
COOK TIME 15 mins
TOTAL TIME 25 mins

This cupcake is the perfect answer to the "chocolate craving"
Author: yo~xoxo
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 30 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (good quality)
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk at room temperature
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • Fudge Ganache
  • 2 cups bittersweet chocolate (chopped fine)
  • ¾ cups heavy whipping cream
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. Combine in a bowl; sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make sure the cocoa powder is dispersed evenly throughout the mixture. Add the oil. Mix until fully incorporated. Add each egg to the batter. Then finally the egg yolk. Make sure you add the eggs separately. Mix until smooth, about thirty seconds. DO NOT OVER MIX or the cake will be tough. Slowly add the milk until fully incorporated. Mix the batter for 1 minute/until smooth. Evenly spoon the batter into the prepared tin . Filling to about ⅔ full. Bake in the center of the oven. Bake until toothpick comes out clean about 11 to 15 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely before finishing with confectioners’ sugar or frosting.
  3. Fudge Ganache: Heat heavy cream in a saucepan or microwave (3-4 minutes) until cream simmers. Remove from heat, add 2 cups of bittersweet chocolate and let stand, without stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk just until combined. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until spreadable, about 1 hour.