Chocolate Filled Cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup sour cream
For the milk chocolate ganache
- 8 ounces chopped milk chocolate*
- 8 ounces heavy cream
For the cream cheese frosting
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate ganache (see recipe)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
Instructions:
- Make the ganache. Place chopped chocolate in a small bowl and set aside.
- Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Heat it until it is just starting to steam on top, but DO NOT let it come to a boil. Remove it from the heat as soon as you see the steam starting.*
- Pour the steamed cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 2-3 minutes to melt the chocolate. Stir it all together with a spoon or small spatula until creamy and smooth.
- The ganache will take 2-3 hours to cool and thicken at room temperature. You can put it in the fridge to speed things along, but make sure to give it a stir every 20 minutes to prevent it from thickening unevenly. You want it to be completely cooled and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but it does not need to be piping consistency.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a muffin tin with cupcake papers.
- Make the cupcakes. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar together until light and airy. There should be little bubbles, and the mixture will lighten in color. This will take a minute or two.
- Whisk in the oil, vanilla and sour cream until no lumps remain.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring just until combined. You do not want to knock all of the air out so be gentle.
- Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the way with batter. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it. Let the cupcakes cool completely before filling and frosting.
- Make the cream cheese frosting. Combine all ingredients and beat with a mixer until smooth and creamy. I like to just swirl it onto the cupcake so it does not need to be a super thick consistency.
- Fill the cupcakes. Use a small knife or spoon to scoop out the center of each cooled cupcake. Save the cake that you scooped out. Fill cupcakes with a big spoonful of the cooled ganache.
- Frost the cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a spoonful of frosting and use a small spatula or spoon to swirl it around. The soft ganache will probably get mixed into the swirl, but that makes it even better! Tip with a drizzle of leftover ganache, and crumble the extra cake that you scooped out of the cupcakes on top.