Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Alright you guys, I maybe say this about every cupcake, but this really is the very tip top of my list so far.
I love hot chocolate and the frosting is absolutely delicious, but this chocolate cupcake, ya'll.....
I will probably never use another chocolate cupcake recipe, ever. Over at The Cupcake Project, over 30 bakers tested out tons of chocolate cupcakes and it all came down to this one. It is the moistest, most insanely amazing cupcake I've ever had. I'm so excited I found it.
But take this absolutely divine cupcake and marry it with the completely winterlisous Hot Chocolate frosting, and you have a match made in heaven.

Chocolate Cupcake Recipe – The Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake Test Baked by 50 Bakers and Counting

Yield: 16 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
• 2 ounces of your favorite chocolate (You can use any plain chocolate that you like except white chocolate or candy melts.)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (4 1/2 fluid ounces) vegetable or canola oil, measured in a liquid measuring cup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup (2 3/4 ounce) full-fat sour cream
• 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) cocoa powder (natural or dutched will both work with this recipe)
• 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) room temperature water, measured in a liquid measuring cup

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix butter and sugar until fully combined. The end result should look like wet sand.
3. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler.
4. Once the melted chocolate is cool enough to touch, add it to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
5. Mix in eggs and egg yolks one at a time until just combined.
6. Mix in oil, vanilla, and sour cream until just combined.
7. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder into a separate medium-sized bowl. Use a fork or a whisk to ensure that the ingredients are mixed well after sifting.
8. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in three additions, mixing until just combined after each addition.
9. Mix in water until just combined.
10. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and put in the oven.
11. Check for doneness at 18 minutes - a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake should come out clean. If they are not done, check again every three minutes until they are done.
12. Immediately remove cupcakes from the cupcake tin and place on a cooling rack or on the counter to cool to room temperature. Although they are really good when they are hot, be sure to wait until they are room temperature to give your evaluation.

Notes

If you would like to add coffee to the recipe, either add 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee granules along with the sifted dry ingredients, or replace the water with room temperature brewed coffee.

Hot Chocolate Frosting

makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup dry hot chocolate mix (without mini marshmallows)
• 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp heavy cream

How to Make

1. In a small saucepan combine hot chocolate mix and cream. Heat over medium until hot and steaming...not quite boiling, stirring consistently. You want the sugar in the hot chocolate to dissolve. Set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl cream butter until smooth.
3. Add in powdered sugar and mix until combined. It will be very dry.
4. Turn mixer to low and slowly pour in your hot chocolate mixture. Once all is added turn mixer up to medium and beat for about a minute until light and fluffy, scarping down sides of bowl when necessary.
5. Spread or pipe on cupcakes.

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

Christmas is coming you guys!!!! What!?? I have so much to do, but instead I'll bake.... ;)
When it comes to Christmas flavors, Mocha or Chocolate and Peppermint are my absolute favorite!
It just tatses like Christmas.
These turned out perfect.
The frosting alone I would have just eaten with a spoon.
I found this lovely recipe here.

Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes

(makes 24-27 standard sized cupcakes)

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (best quality available)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (best quality available)
• 1 cup boiling water

~ Directions ~
*Line muffin tin with paper liners. Heat oven to 350*F.
*In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
*Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute.
*Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin, don’t worry, this is right).
*Fill liners 2/3 full with batter. (I usually put the batter into a large measuring cup with a pour spout, and then pour the batter into the liners.)
*Bake cupcakes for approximately 22-24 minutes.
*Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.

Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup (1 stick, 8 Tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
• 6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature (about 3/4 of a regular block of cream cheese)
• 4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 to 3 Tablespoons heavy cream, heavy whipping cream (or milk- although I do like the richness that cream adds)

~ Directions ~
*Place butter in a large mixing bowl and blend slightly. Add cream cheese and blend until combined, about 30 seconds.
*Add powdered sugar (a little at a time) and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.
*Add vanilla and peppermint extracts
*Slowly add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don’t add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.)
*Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
*Use at once or keep refrigerated. (This frosting will keep well in the refrigerator for several days, but you may need to re-beat it for the best texture.)

To achieve the red stripe in the frosting:  Before filling a large piping bag with frosting, add some red gel food coloring to a toothpick, and draw two (vertical) lines with the red dye on the inside of the piping bag. Then carefully fill the piping bag with frosting.  Squeeze some frosting into a bowl until you begin to see the red stripe, then frost the cupcakes.

I topped mine with white Gems, but Andes's Candies the holiday edition would be perfect as well!