Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes

As promised, I'm sharing with you the second cupcake flavor in our recent Valentine's Day bake sale:  Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes!  And let me tell you, the "ultimate" part of the name doesn't lie; these really are some rich chocolate cupcakes!

These cupcakes begin with an rich, moist chocolate cake.  With the inclusion of coffee, bittersweet chocolate, and dark chocolate cocoa powder, the chocolate flavor in this cupcake is INTENSE!  But it doesn't stop there! 

These cupcakes are also filled with a bittersweet chocolate ganache, and then piped with a chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream frosting and topped with a tiny red candy heart (how-to for the candy heart briefly discussed in the previous post). 

If you are a chocolate lover, then you definitely need to try these cupcakes!  The chocolate flavor is deep and rich without being too overly sweet.  That's the main reason why I love Swiss meringue buttercream--it doesn't contain a lot of sugar like traditional buttercream frosting, but has a smooth, silky texture that can take on many different flavors. 

I wish I had a better picture of these Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes to show you the chocolate ganache in the middle, but I finished these in the evening when there was no more daylight left for good pictures.  I ended up taking these pictures then next morning at our bake sale, while they were sitting in our cupcake tower display.

Although this is a perfect treat for Valentine's Day, this would also be suitable for any other occasion.  You could easily replace the candy heart with an alternate decoration, or even top this cupcake with chocolate jimmies (sprinkles).  I think this would be a great dessert to share with a special someone after a date, or to make for a chocolate-lover's birthday. 

Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes
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Recipe adapted from Pink-Parsely, original recipe from Cook's Illustrated, May/June 2010
Yield:  about 24 cupcakes (for 12 cupcake recipe:  click here)

Ingredients:
Ganache Filling:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp confectioners' sugar

Chocolate Cupcakes:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
2/3 cup Hershey's special dark cocoa powder (or Dutch-processed cocoa if you can find it)
1 1/2 cups hot, strong-brewed coffee
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
4 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Frosting:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg whites
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into Tablespoon pieces
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled to 85-100 degrees
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
For the ganache filling:
Place chocolate, cream, and confectioners' sugar in a small microwave-safe bowl.  Cook on high power until mixture is warm to the touch, about 20-30 seconds.  Whisk until smooth, and transfer to the refrigerator.  Let stand just until chilled, no longer than 30 minutes.

For the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 and line a cupcake pan with liners.  Set aside.

Place chocolate and cocoa in a medium bowl, and pour hot coffee over the mixture.  Whisk until smooth, and transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely, about 20-30 minutes.

Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl; set aside. 

Whisk oil, eggs, vanilla, and vinegar into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth.  Add flour mixture and whisk until batter is smooth.

Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners, filling each 3/4 full.  Place one slightly rounded teaspoon of the ganache filling on top of each cupcake.

Bake until cupcakes are set and firm to the touch, 17-19 minutes.  Allow to cool in pans 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:
Combine the sugar, egg whites, and salt in a heat-safe bowl.  Set over a small saucepan of simmering water, and whisking constantly, cook until the mixture is slightly thickened, foamy, and registers 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer, and with the whisk attachment, beat at medium speed, until mixture is the consistency of shaving cream and cooled, 1-3 minutes.  Add butter 1 piece at a time, until smooth and creamy.  The frosting may look curdled halfway through, but it will smooth out eventually.

Once all the butter has been added, pour in the cooled chocolate and vanilla.  Mix until well combined.  Increase speed to medium-high and until light and fluffy, another 30 seconds to a minute.

Frost cupcakes as desired.