Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes
Instructions:
- FOR THE CUPCAKES
- 1 1/3 Cup All purpose flour; sifted
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 Pinch Salt
- 1/4 Cup Unsweetened cocoa powder; sifted
- 6 Tablespoon Unsalted butter; at room temperature
- 1 Cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
- FOR THE FILLING
- 1/2 Cup Heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tablespoon Confectioners\' sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- FOR THE ICING
- 4 Ounce Semi−sweet chocolate; chopped
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 3 Tablespoon Granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Unsalted cold butter
- TO MAKE THE CUPCAKES:
- Line a 12−cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium mixing bowl, resift the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. Then, with a wooden spoon, beat in half the buttermilk and half the flour and cocoa mixture, stirring well to combine.
- Add the remaining buttermilk, and flour mixture and beat until thoroughly mixed.
- Evenly divide the batter among the muffin tins (about 1/4 cup of batter per tin) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcake tin on a cake rack.
- When completely cool, remove the cupcakes from their paper liners.
- TO MAKE THE FILLING:
- In a chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla until stiff.
- With a small paring knife, cut out a small cone shape from the bottom of each cupcake and reserve them for later.
- With a knife or small spoon, remove about a teaspoonful of cake from inside each cupcake to create a hollow.
- Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a 1/4−inch round tip, with the whipped cream and pipe it into the hollow (if you don\'t have a pastry bag, then just spoon the cream inside the cakes as best you can).
- Plug up the bottoms of the filled cupcakes with the reserved cake cones and set the cupcakes, bottom side down, on a baking sheet and refrigerate.
- TO ICE THE CUPCAKES:
- In a small saucepan, combine the chocolate, water and sugar and bring to a boil.
- When the ingredients are at a boil, lower the heat and simmer very gently, stirring on occasion, for 5 minutes exactly.
- Transfer the icing to a bowl, whisk in the butter and cool until the icing has set up a bit.
- Remove the cupcakes from the fridge, then pour the icing on each cupcake. With a rubber spatula, spread the icing out to the edges and refrigerate until ready to eat.
- Serve the cupcakes on individual plates.