I don't really have much to say about this cupcake, it is an idea I have been sitting on for a while but was saving it for a week when I didn't have any other brilliant ideas. When I decided this would be the week I made mint chocolate cupcakes I decided I would make a chocolate cake with some sort of mint chips/candy baked inside. So I was strolling the baking aisle, per usual ( If you ever loose me in a store that has a baking aisle try looking there first!) and I happened upon these new chips.
They are chocolate chips filled with different flavors. They had mint, caramel, peanut butter and cherry. This seemed like a good opportunity to try them. I thought they were really good they cost a bit more than regular chips but I think it was worth it. They melted really well into the cake. I then topped the cupcakes with a mint chocolate glaze and a mint buttercream. For the mint flavor I went with peppermint over regular mint because a lot of people said the mint extract was kind of toothpasty. The cupcake pretty much tasted like a giant thin mint and it was delicious!
This recipe makes 16 cupcakes!
For the chocolate cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Melt the chocolate and set aside to cool.
- Beat butter and sugar until fully combined and looks like wet sand; add the melted chocolate once cooled and mix to combine.
- Mix in eggs and egg yolks one at a time until just combined.
- Mix in oil, vanilla, and sour cream until just combined.
- Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture a little at a time until just combined.
- Add the coffee and mix till combined.
- Fill cupcake liners and bake with 18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Set aside on a wire rack and let cool.
For the mint chocolate glaze:
- 16 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
- 1 ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
1. Chop the baking chocolate into very small, thin pieces. Place in a glass measuring cup or similar container and microwave in short 15-20 second bursts until smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract.
2. Dip the cupcakes into the glaze.
For the Buttercream:
- 1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tsp peppermint extract
- green food coloring
- In a the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with whisk attachment whip butter on medium-high speed until butter turns almost white and is fluffy about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally.
- Add the powdered sugar gradually. Mix until well combined.
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream and peppermint and mix on low speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add more cream if frosting is too thick.
- Increase mixer to medium-high speed and whip mixture until pale and very fluffy about 4 - 5 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl.