Week 13, April 28th, 2014 ~ Spicy Cayenne Chocolate Cupcakes

This week's cupcake is a spicy cayenne chocolate cupcake! I pretty much put pepper, cayenne, crushed red pepper, or sriracha on everything; so why not make a spicy cupcake! I had been thinking about it for a while and then last week someone else requested it. I didn't really feel like buying a bunch of ingredients at the store this week and it turned out I had everything I needed for this cupcake so I knew this was the week! This could also be called a Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcake...perfect for Cinco de mayo! Although I prefer to celebrate with Margaritas! I wasn't really sure what to expect with these; I definitely had to taste along the way because I was kind of winging it when it came to adding the spice. I wanted it to be pretty strong so I added extra; it is certainly noticeable but its not overpowering. I went with a devil's food cupcake because I wanted a moist almost fudgy cake and just added cinnamon and cayenne. I then filled it with homemade hot fudge using a Lindt chili chocolate bar and extra cayenne because filling cupcakes with things is kinda my thing and it would just make it even moister! I then topped it with a cinnamon cayenne buttercream! I was a big fan of this cupcake! The cayenne amounts a standard amount I ended up adding a few extra shakes on top of that. Just taste along the way and add more if you want, it won't have any impact on the baking process.

This recipe makes 12 cupcakes! 

For Cupcakes:

• 1/4 cup butter( room temperature)
• 1 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 6 tbsp sour cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 cup cocoa powder
• 1-oz dark chocolate
• 1/2 cup water( boiling)
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180 C and lightly grease  muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs one at a time. 
3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Add half of flour mixture to the butter mixture, followed by the sour cream and vanilla extract, followed by the addition of the rest of the flour mix. Stir well between each addition and mix until no streaks of flour remain.
4. Stir the cocoa powder and the dark chocolate into the boiling water (easiest in a large measuring cup). Pour chocolate water into the rest of the batter and stir until uniform.
5. Add the cayenne and cinnamon; taste and add more if desired.
6. Evenly distribute batter into prepared baking cups. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the cakes spring back when lightly pressed. ( mine needed an extra 5 minutes--but I usually overfill the tin)

For the Cayenne Hot Fudge:

The original recipe made 2 cups which was way too much so unless you want extra for ice cream or something the recipe below is just for a cup which is plenty for 12 cupcakes.

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup
• 4 tbsp Lindt chili chocolate bar-chopped
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Add all the ingredients to a medium sauce pan, except for the vanilla, and cook over medium heat. Whisk occasionally until mixture comes to a low boil and then whisk continuously until the mixture thickens and looks like fudge. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Add to cooled and cored cupcakes and then store any leftovers in a mason jar if desired. 

Tip: I used a squeeze bottle to fill the cupcakes; it was much easier and less messy than any other way I could think of. 

For the Buttercream:

At this point this is my standard buttercream recipe. It comes out perfectly fluffy every time! I just sub the extracts and flavors for whatever I want.

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 3 cups confectioners sugar
• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1. Cream the butter until it is really light and fluffy. About 5 minutes, scraping the sides occasionally.
2. Gradually add the sugar, mixing after each addition--frosting will be pretty thick by the end.
3. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper
4. Add 1/4 cup of cream and beat the frosting for a few more minutes.
5. Taste and add more spice if desired.

Lastly I topped the cupcakes with some of this: 

It is really good! If I didn't have it though I would have just sprinkled some cayenne on top. This was easier and prettier though! Now that I am sitting here writing this I find myself thinking how good it would have been if I topped the cupcakes with a sweet and spicy candied bacon! Ugh! where was this idea yesterday!!!!! 

Oh Well! Happy Baking!