Chocolate is definitely a weakness of mine. My motto is definitely the more chocolate the better. So what’s better than just a chocolate cupcake? Well, how about a chocolate cupcake filled with a chocolate truffle? Yeah, amazing. Right? Right!
A few month’s ago one of my co-workers and friends asked if I would make a few desserts for her bunko group. She couldn’t get the words out of her mouth before I agreed to do so. We looked through some cookbooks, she had some ideas marked and she finally settled on cupcakes and cookies. We decided to do something chocolate and then something on a little bit lighter note. For the chocolate, we decided to go with chocolate cupcakes filled with truffles and topped with buttercream. Yum! For the other, we ended up going with a white chocolate cranberry cookie.
For the cupcakes I ended up using my “go to” chocolate cake recipe, devil’s food cake. I filled the cupcakes with chocolate truffles, which were incredibly easy to make. Then to balance it all I topped it with a buttercream frosting. These cupcakes were amazing. The cake was perfectly moist and full of chocolate flavor, the truffle was soft and added another layer of chocolate goodness as well as texture. The buttercream was light and fluffy and the perfect compliment to the moist chocolate cake and rich truffle.
These cupcakes were a hit at the party. Not only did we make enough for everyone to enjoy during the party, we also made enough for everyone to take one home as a favor. And, to ensure her family didn’t dip into the party portion, I made a few several extras for them to enjoy as well. If you’re looking for a perfect chocolate cake, that has a little extra punch of chocolate then look no further!
Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Chocolate Truffle Centers
*Make the truffles ahead of time since they’ll need to chill at least an hour. I made mine the day before.
Ingredients:
Devil’s food cake-
1 Cup boiling water
3/4 Cup good quality unsweetend cocoa powder
1 3/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Tsp sea salt
2 Cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 Sticks (10 Tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 Eggs, room temperature
1 Tsp vanilla
3/4 Cup buttermilk
1/2 Cup strong coffee
For the truffles-
1 1/2 Cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk
1 Tsp butter
2 Tsp vanilla
For the buttercream frosting-
1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4-5 Cups powdered sugar
4-5 Tbs milk
1 Tsp vanilla
Directions:
For the devil’s food cake-
Spray two 8-inch cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Place parchment paper in the bottom of each pan then flour the pan. Set aside.
In a heat safe bowl combine the boiling water and cocoa and whisk until smooth. Set aside and allow cool completely.
Combine flour, baking soda and sea salt and sift into a medium bowl and set aside.
Place the butter in the bowl of a mixer. Turn mixer on medium and beat butter utnil creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the the sugar, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy; an additional 2-3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the cooled chocolate and mix until just combined.
Reduce the mixing speed to low. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the wet ingredients and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix well after each addition, stopping occassionally to scrape down the sides. Once the batter is smooth, remove bowl from the mixer. Fill each cupcake liner 1/4 full, place truffles in the center of the batter then top with more cupcake batter to cover the tops of the truffles, the liners should be a little more than 3/4 of the way full.
For the truffles-
Place chocolate chips, milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat and melt completely, stirring to combine. Once melted, remove from heat. Add vanilla and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Once the chocolate mixture is firm, roll into twenty-four 1 inch balls. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and return to the refrigerator for at leat 1 hour.
For the frosting-
Place the butter in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on medium-high for 1-2 minutes, until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of powdered sugar and whip until incorporated, then add the vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk and whip until combined. Gradually add 2 more cups of powdered sugar and beat on high for 1 minute, until fluffy and aerated. If the icing is too thick add a little more milk, if it’s too thin add a little more powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.
Place frosting in a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice (I used a large star tip) and frost the cupcakes.
Recipe source:
Devil’s Food Cake- Williams-Sonoma
Chocolate Truffles- Taste of Home: New Church Supper Cookbook
Buttercream Frosting- A Lynsey Original
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