Triple chocolate cupcakes

The advantage of having a big family is that there are lots of birthdays and lots of opportunities to try new flavors of cake. Today is my husband's birthday and he requested chocolate cupcakes, which was perfect because my Cook's Illustrated Magazine (the same one with the waffle recipe), had a recipe for Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes. I was actually about to make them last week when he made the request, so I decided to wait. It was DEFINATELY worth the wait!

(adapted from Cook's Illustrated May and June 2010 issue- I doubled their recipe)

Preheat oven to 350'

Cupcakes:

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup Hersey's cocoa
1 1/2 cup hot coffee ( I used decaf)
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
4 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla

Ganache filling:

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used half bittersweet, half semi-sweet)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 TBSP confectioner's sugar

White chocolate swiss merengue buttercream icing:

2 egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
6 oz. white chocolate chips
12 TBSP butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 tsp vanilla

For the cupcakes, mix cocoa, chocolate, and hot coffee with whisk. Set in fridge for about 20 min. to cool to room temperature. While this is in the fridge, mix together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Start making the ganache filling: mix all ingredients, put in microwave for about 30 seconds, then stir with whisk to blend- should be warm to touch, if not, microwave for about 15 more seconds, blend again, put in fridge to cool- for no more than 30 minutes.

Now, remove the coffee/chocolate from fridge, put in bowl of mixer. Add the oil, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla one at a time and mix well with whisk attachment. Add the flour mixture slowly until blended, scrape sides to be sure everything is mixed.

Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full with cake batter. I used both mini and large muffin cups, however, I think this would be better with large only because the ganache overflowed out of the minicups- see photo below. (They still tasted good, just sort of hollowed out- but I filled them with icing to make up ;)



Using a teaspoon, drop one scoop of ganache filling onto each filled muffin cup- 1/2 scoop for the minis. Bake approx. 12 minutes for the minis and 17-19 minutes for the large cupcakes.

Let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, put egg whites and sugar in a double boiler (I just put water in a large pan and put the ingredients in a smaller pan set in the large pan). Use whisk and mix until it reaches 150'. Put the egg/sugar mix into the stand mixer with the whisk attachement and mix on medium high about 3-5 minutes until it is cooled and is white with peaks, like whipped cream. Slowly add the butter, 1 TBSP at a time. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave (30 sec, then mix, 30 sec then mix)- until it is smooth. Let sit until cooled. Once all butter is added, switch to the paddle attachment, add the melted white chocolate and vanilla, beat on high about 5 minutes until the mixture thickens like pudding. You are ready to frost and enjoy. I had to use a ziploc baggie with the corner cut off to do my icing, my parents don't have a decorator :(

ENJOY!