Week 48, December 29, 2014 ~ Turtle Cupcakes

I love chocolate turtles I think they are my favorite "fancy candy".  So I am not sure why I waited till week 48 to make them. For this cupcake I tried a new chocolate cake recipe that used greek yogurt as the acid instead of the typical sour cream or buttermilk and they came out really good. The were moister and had a slight tang to them. I am curious how using a flavored greek yogurt in a cupcake would turn out...thats a challenge for another day though. I out pecans in the batter and I also filled the cupcakes with chewy chocolate caramels. I used fancy ones I bought after christmas but rolos would probably work too. I then topped then with a caramel mascarpone buttercream. I topped them with turtles, which I admit was a bit much, you could also just drizzle some chocolate and caramel on top with a sprinkle of pecans. 

This recipe makes 14 cupcakes!

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, not packed
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup full fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup hot coffee
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 14 chocolate caramels

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tin.
2. Melt the oil, butter,and chocolate together in the microwave, heating in 30 second increments, and stirring between increments each time. You may also melt the oil, butter, and chocolate over very low heat on the stovetop, but I find the microwave option to be much easier. Whisk mixture until completely smooth; set aside to cool.
3. In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt; stir together until thoroughly combined; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolk, sugars, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Add the cooled oil/butter/chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Add half of the flour mixture, then half of the Greek yogurt. Repeat the process until everything is added, and gently mix to combine- then stir in the coffee and pecans and mix until just combined .
5. Divide the batter among the liners in your prepared pan. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. While the cupcakes are baking make sure your caramels are ready to get put into the cupcakes and you have kitchen shears ready to go.
7. As soon as you remove the cupcakes from the oven cut an X into the top of each cupcake just slightly wider than the caramel and then insert the caramel into the cupcake.
8. Let cool before frosting.

For the caramel mascarpone frosting:

• 8 oz Mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup caramel sauce
• 1/2 cup of sugar

1. in a bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the mascarpone cheese, heavy whipping cream, caramel sauce and salt. Gradually increase the speed over a few seconds till on medium-high.  Slowly pour in the sugar. Beat on medium-high until soft peaks form--this should not take more than a minute or 2...gradually lower the speed until you turn off the mixer.
2. Frost the cupcakes and garnish!