Cupcake Tuesday-Mocha Cupcakes!

I shared a photo with you in a Book Club Wrap Up of Mocha Cupcakes a while ago.



I made the mistake of pinning this picture before posting this recipe and brought several Pinterest folks to the page in hopes of a recipe only to be disappointed. I apologize if this was you, so to make up for it, I am bringing you a recipe!

These cupcakes are delicious, not too sweet and not too bitter.  The coffee isn't an overwhelming flavor but just a nice compliment to the chocolate flavor.

I love putting a ganache filling in my chocolate cupcakes.  It keeps them very moist and adds another layer of chocolate flavor.

So here we go.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

2 sticks butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 1/4 cupcakes flour

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

salt



Preheat oven to 350 and line two muffin pans with liners

In a medium bowl, whip the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time.  Beat until everything is nice and combined.  Add the cocoa powder in and mix until combined.

Once all the liquid ingredients are well mixed add in 1/3 of the flour.  When that is just combined add 1/2 of the sour cream.  Repeat.

Add the last of the flour along with the baking soda and baking powder.  Mix until just incorporated making sure to not over mix.  Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure that everything gets mixed in and quickly mix one last time.

Scoop into the muffin tin using a two ounce ice cream scoop (you can use spoons but this is much faster).



(This is the scoop that I use, I just picked it up at the grocery store).

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Espresso Cream Cheese Frosting

2 8 ounce blocks room temperature cream cheese

1 stick room temperature butter

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

3-4 cups powdered sugar

Whip the cream cheese and butter together until nice and light.  Add in the espresso powder and mix until most of the powder is dissolved into the cream cheese mixture.

Slowly add in the powdered sugar.  When you reach a pretty thick consistency taste the frosting for sweetness.  If it isn't sweet enough add more sugar, if it is too sweet you may want to start over (to prevent this from happening taste along the way).

Coffee Ganache

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Ghiradelli because they seem to melt the best)

3/4 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee

dash of vanilla

Add the chocolate chips and the heavy cream to a double boiler.



(I don't have an actual double boiler so I just use a glass bowl over a sauce pan)

Stir frequently to prevent burning.

Once the cream is fully incorporated into the chocolate, remove from heat.  Then add the coffee and the vanilla. You don't want to add these in the beginning because they will cook off and create a bitter flavor.

Stir until well incorporated.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a paring knife to cut out a small piece from the center.  I put my ganache in a little squeeze bottle, but you can also use a ziploc bag.  Then squeeze the ganache into the middle until the hole is full.

Once filled, use a piping bag (mine is fitted with a large round tip) to frost the cupcakes.  I place my tip in the middle and the just squeeze one whole "blob" onto the top.  It gives a nice round look to the cupcake.  If some of the ganache squeezes out that is totally ok.  It gives it a nice "gooey" look.  Yum!

Then, if you have more ganache drizzle it on top to create a beautiful, finished cupcake.

Enjoy!

Love,

Keely