Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes

These cupcakes are a chocolate-lover's dream!

INGREDIENTS:

For the Ganache Filling:
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

For the Cupcakes:
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
⅓ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
¾ cup hot coffee
¾ cup bread flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Frosting:
1¼ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
¾ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
¾ cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces chocolate (milk, semisweet or dark), melted and cooled

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the Ganache Filling: Place the chopped chocolate, heavy cream and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave on high power until the mixture is warm to the touch, 20 to 30 seconds. Whisk until smooth, then refrigerate until just barely chilled, no longer than 30 minutes.

2. Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard-size muffin pan with liners. Place the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Pour the hot coffee over the mixture and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate mixture for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.

4. Whisk the oil, eggs, vinegar and vanilla extract into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Add the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.

5. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin pan cups. Place one slightly rounded teaspoon of ganache filling on top of each cupcake. Bake until the cupcakes are set and just firm to the touch, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan and place on the wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.

6. Make the Frosting: In a food processor, process the butter, sugar, cocoa powder and salt until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the corn syrup and vanilla extract and process until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then add the chocolate and pulse until smooth and creamy, 10 to 15 one-second pulses. Frost the cupcakes as desired. The frosted cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Notes:

• The ganache filling can be omitted it if you'd like a more traditional chocolate cupcake.
• The frosting can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 hours before using, or refrigerated for up to 3 days. If refrigerated, let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.
• I used the Ateco #823 decorating tip for piping the frosting.

(Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

Cooking Tips : 

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Set aside about one-fourth cup. When your sauce is also ready, add this little amount of water to the mix.The addition of the starchy water will bulk up your sauce via amalgamation.

Onions have sulfurous gas. This unappetizing gas can ruin the flavor of fresh salsa. The gas is eliminated if you rinse and drying the diced onions.

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There are many varieties of potatoes, and they are not all the same.

Set a timer in parallel with you as well.

The concentrated heat in a microwave will force the oils to separate. Baking will keep all its parts cohesive.

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This will cause the fat to congeal on the top. You can then easily pluck the fat from your soup and get rid of this hardened fat. You will save approximately 100 calories for every tablespoon removed.


As you have seen from this article, anyone can learn to cook with the correct techniques. Becoming someone who is skilled in the kitchen does not take unobtainable skills or training that spans many years. Cooking is an art that anyone can learn. Your family will appreciate everything you have learned, so go show it off and cook!



Try These Tips To Learn How To Be A Good Cook

Cooking may seem to be a chore, and is also a tasty past time to take up too. Anyone can become a good cook well if they learn to do it the tools and knowledge to learn. The following article will provide you need to inspire the cook in you!

If you are just beginning to cook more of your meals, head to the nearest library or bookstore and find a cookbook with simple, basic recipes that you will enjoy preparing. Try some recipes and be patient as you come up with something that works for you.

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To make your French fries crisper, let the raw potatoes soak for about half an hour in cold water prior to frying.

Try adding cauliflower in with your mashed potatoes to cut some calories and fat. The somewhat bland taste of cauliflower helps it to blend nicely with your potatoes while picking up the potatoes. Cauliflower is also the same texture and color of potatoes when mashed so it's a great way to add more veggies, so the dish will be transformed into one that has more vegetables and fewer calories.

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Plan to make a big pot of stock so that the excess can be frozen and used later. Good homemade chicken stock is a wonderful base in soups, stews, stews and other dishes.

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