Triple Chocolate Cupcakes
Moist and fluffy chocolate cupcakes filled with silky chocolate ganache and topped with creamy milk chocolate buttercream frosting!
Ingredients
Chocolate Ganache:
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ½ cup hot water
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (dutch-processed)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup milk
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Milk Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- 5 ounces milk chocolate
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup heavy cream, room temperature
- Chocolate curls*
Instructions
Make the Ganache:
- Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Pour the heavy cream into a glass measuring cup, and heat in the microwave until it just begins to simmer, about 30-40 seconds. Pour hot cream over the chocolate, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and stir until smooth. Transfer to refrigerator to cool and thicken.
Make the Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF degrees, and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Add the espresso powder to the hot water, and stir until fully dissolved; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Add the milk, sour cream, oil and the espresso liquid, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, stirring until just combined.
- Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 of the way. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Frosting:
- Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave until smooth and melted. Set aside to cool slightly**.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, salt, and vanilla on high until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, a half cup at a time, until fully incorporated.
- Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Add the melted chocolate and beat frosting on high for a minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, add the heavy cream, and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Transfer frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a star tip. I used Wilton's 1M tip.
To Assemble:
- Using a paring knife, carve a cone-shape piece out of the center of each cupcake. Try to cut only about halfway deep. Fill each cupcake with the ganache. Pipe the frosting on top of each cupcake. Finish each cupcake with chocolate curls. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
*To make chocolate curls, run a vegetable peeler along the edge of a candy bar. I used Lindt white chocolate and Hershey milk chocolate bars.
**Make sure the chocolate doesn't start to harden up again before you add it to the frosting. If it's already begun to set along the edges of the bowl, it'll harden once it hits the frosting, creating specks of chocolate throughout. If necessary, reheat chocolate in the microwave at 10-second increments just until it's completely liquid-smooth, but not too warm.