Mmmmmm…. cupcakes. They’re always a tasty treat, but did you know that October 18th is National Chocolate Cupcake Day? Celebrate this very special occasion today (or any day) with yummy Chococat Chocolate Cupcakes! Here’s how to make them:
Chococat Chocolate Cupcakes
Cupcake Ingredients:
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1 ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
Ganache Ingredients:
- 1 lb. Dark Chocolate
- 1 ½ cups Heavy Cream
Directions:
- Use a stand mixer to cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add vanilla!
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients - flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to the creamed butter alternately with greek yogurt, beating well after each addition.
- Fill paper-lined baking cups ¾ full and place in the center of the oven. Bake at 375 degrees for 14 to 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes clean. And no peeking, opening the oven will deflate the cakes and you won’t get the nice dome effect on the top! Remove cupcakes from the pan promptly.
- To make the ganache, place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl; set aside.
- Place cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
- Pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand until chocolate has softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir until smooth. Let cool slightly before using!
To decorate the cupcakes:
Tools:
- Decorating tip #7
- Small knife
- Toothpick
Ingredients:
The first step to decorating the cupcakes is to pre-make Chococat’s eyes, ears, nose, and whiskers out of fondant.
Chococat’s eyes:
- Roll out white fondant. Use the wide end of the #7 decorating tip to cut circles out for the eyes.
- Roll out black fondant. Use the small end of the #7 decorating tip to cut out smaller circles for the pupils.
- Assemble eyes together using a little bit of chocolate to stick the pieces together.
Chococat’s ears:
- Roll out black fondant and cut into a triangle with a rounded tip.
- Roll out yellow fondant and cut into a smaller triangle.
- Assemble ears together using a little bit of chocolate to stick the pieces together.
Chococat’s nose and whiskers:
- Roll a bit of light brown fondant into a small oval.
- Roll out a bit of the black fondant into small cylinders.
- Dip cupcakes into the ganache. Be sure to let it drip a bit before turning it back up!
- Once the ganache has dried a little, it’s time to add the cutouts! Make sure all the cutouts have hardened before applying onto the cupcake, then apply as shown below!
