Hostess-with-the-Mostest Cupcakes
I felt like a modern-day Pied Piper as I carried a tray of these cupcakes to the dessert table at a picnic last fall. A throng of kids sprang up behind me, each one clamoring for a cupcake decorated with the familiar white curlicue and enriched with a hidden cream filling. Soon, all that was left was an empty tray and the hilarious chocolate smears that decorated the faces and fingers of the youngest children. These are simpler to make than you’d imagine and, given the excitement they always inspire, they certainly are worth the effort. You’ll need a pastry bag with a number 10 tip to inject the cream filling into the center of the cupcakes.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 2 dozen standard cupcakes
Ingredients
Cocoa Cupcakes
Filling
Icing
Preparation
Step 1
TO MAKE THE CUPCAKES: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease standard-size (3-inch-diameter) muffin cups with butter or cooking spray, sprinkle with flour, and knock out the excess.
Step 2
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until combined. Add the boiling water and whisk until the batter is smooth. Evenly spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each of the prepared muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool on wire racks about 20 minutes before filling and icing.
Step 3
TO MAKE THE CREAM FILLING: Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 1 cup butter and powdered sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the 1/4 cup whipping cream and beat for 1 minute more. Set aside.
Step 4
TO MAKE THE ICING: Set the chocolate in a bowl. In a saucepan set over medium heat, bring the 1/2 cup whipping cream to a gentle boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, stirring constantly until it melts completely. Stir in the syrup, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and pinch of salt. Let the icing cool for about 20 minutes before spreading over the cupcakes.
Step 5
TO ASSEMBLE THE CUPCAKES: Using a spoon, fill a pastry bag fitted with a round number 10 tip three-quarters full with the cream filling. Set the cupcakes upside down on a work surface. For each cupcake, push the metal pastry tip into the center of the bottom of the cupcake three-quarters of the way in, squeezing filling out as you go. Refill the pastry bag as needed and repeat with each cupcake. (There will be extra filling; you’ll use it to decorate the tops of the cupcakes.) Turn the cupcakes right side up and use a spatula to ice their tops. Let the icing harden for about 15 minutes.
Step 6
TO FINISH: Embellish the top with curlicues of the leftover filling piped with the same number 10 tip; 2 or 3 plumpish curls will fit on top of each cake. For a more authentic look, spoon the leftover filling into a plastic sandwich bag, snip off a tiny corner, and squeeze out the filling to make 5 or 6 thin curls on each cupcake.
do it early
Step 7
The cupcakes can be made, filled, and stored on a tray or platter and covered in plastic wrap up to 1 day in advance without refrigeration. Covered and refrigerated, they’ll keep 2 days. Ice before serving.
tip
Step 8
No buttermilk? Here’s a substitute: put 1 tablespoon lemon juice or distilled white vinegar in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to measure 1 cup and stir. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes; stir again.
