Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

Happy Sunday peeps... i know i hv been very quiet in the blogger world .. each time i wanna update something my body just gives up.. i still bake on a daily basis but hardly have the time to try out any new recipes.. which means.. no new recipes to share.. and when i hv nothing to share.. the urge to update my blog is not there..  anyway last wed Sonia turned 5.. this year we tried to keep it simple as we are planning to throw her a bday party but when mom told us that shes planning to do kenduri and Maulud on her 45th wedding anniversary .. we decided to do the kenduri at our place and just hv a cutting cake session for her bday...

So whats new with me... err not much actually... i am taking a week off fm taking any orders simply bec i wanna bake something for the upcoming event...  its not a biggie actually but the fact that i am able to try out new recipes got me all excited... its been awhile since i get to bake leisurely.. ya know.. its a totally diff feeling when u bake leisurely and when u bake for an order.. ahaks..

As for the family.... we are doing good... Hairi is busy with his work and hes been doing lots of overtime.. dont ask me why hes doing all that lol.. err perhaps he wants to... ishhhhh better not.... too early for him to be thinking abt settling down lol... as for Sonia... shes growing up far too fast... shes learning how to read and we are happy with her progress... next week both hubs and I will hv to go for an interview at a school where we are planning to put her when she turns 7... hubs thought maybe by doing some school volunteer the chances of us to get into that school is higher... so we shall see...  wish us luck!

Alrighty... the cuppies u see abv was baked last tues for Sonia's school mates.. she had requested me to bake rainbow cuppies and also chocolate cuppies to take to school... i also managed to bake some push pop cakes for her and her besties... 

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcake ingredients

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¾ cup hot water

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1¼ tsp. coarse salt

1½ cups unsalted butter

2¼ cups sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

4 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Chocolate ganache ingredients

1 cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. heavy cream

4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature

Chocolate frosting ingredients

1¾ cups bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

270ml cream cheese, at room temperature

9 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

6 tbsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

1 cup plus 2 tbsp sour cream

Directions

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 175˚ C. Line your cupcake pans with cupcake liners. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth and set aside. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and the sugar. Stir occasionally to combine until the butter is melted. Turn off the heat, remove the butter mixture from the stove and transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter and sugar mixture on medium-low speed for about 4-5 minutes until the mixture is cooled. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add in the vanilla and cocoa mixture and mix until well incorporated. Turn the mixer to low and alternately add the dry ingredients and sour cream in two batches, starting with the dry ingredients. Beat just until combined.

Distribute the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners and fill them about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 9-10 minutes and rotate the pans. Then bake for another 9-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the ganache: Put the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Once the cream boils, immediately remove it from the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate. Let it stand for about 1 minute. With a whisk or spatula, gently stir the chocolate and cream together. After the ganache becomes smooth and silky looking, whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time until fully incorporated. Transfer the bowl to the freezer or refrigerator to chill. Whisk the mixture every 5-10 minutes in order to help it cool evenly. Once the mixture is slightly thickened and no longer runny, you can use the ganache to fill the cupcakes.

To assemble the cupcakes: Using a small paring knife, cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake. You can either remove these extra cake bits completely (and save them for a snack) or throw them out. Alternately, you can cut off the pointed end of the cone and keep the "caps" to cover the ganache filling. Using a spoon, drop the ganache into the center of each cupcake and cover the hole with the cap.

To make the frosting: Melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water (I heated mine up in the microwave in 30 second increments). Let it cool until the chocolate is barely warm to the touch. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Add in the melted but cooled chocolate and the sour cream. Keep beating until the mixture is smooth and free from lumps.

Pic taken yesterday while on Sentosa... we were invited to the Breitling Asian Jet Tour... at first the weather was super hot and right after the air show ended... rain started pouring heavily... we were lucky to hv driven out of Sentosa on time bef it started to rain.. Sonia had a blast of cos! The Asian Jet Tour  will be at Subang next week :)

Source: Eva Bakes; cupcakes originally from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes and ganache from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan


Its true what Eva describes in her post abt these cupcakes... Chocoholics Unite!!!