Monday, February 8, 2010

Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Frosting

chocolatecupcakesj

I made these cupcakes for a birthday party. As usual, I went with Hershey's perfectly chocolate chocolate cake and a ganache frosting. For the rose, I used a Wilton 2D tip and swirled from the inside to out. Lately, I've been really into playing around with fondant. They just make the cutest cakes, but I don't think I could ever wrap an entire cake with it until it can magically taste ok. I'm not even asking for good, just not gross. Until then, it's little fondant cutouts...

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa (natural)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

Chocolate Ganache
From Savoury, Sweet, Life (with an excellent tutorial)

8 ounces of chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream
*optional 3 tbl. of flavored liqueor

Place chocolate pieces in a large bowl. Heat heavy cream on medium high until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately pour cream over chocolate and stir until completely mixed and glossy. Allow ganache to cool before pouring over cakes as a glaze. The longer you allow the ganache to cool, the thicker it will set. Typically I stick mine in the refrigerator so it is slightly cold before whipping. For piping or frosting, allow the ganache to completely cool and set up. When you are able to spoon the ganache and it can hold its texture, it is ready for piping

67 comments:

  1. Wow, those are lovely. It would almost be a shame to eat them. Almost. ;)

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  2. I would like to thank you for telling us what size tip you used for these, it looks like the exact cake to frosting ratio that I prefer! Lovely!

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  3. wwooOOOOOOOOooooooo, perfectly pretty. How do you do that?
    I wanna know? Can you do a video and post in on youtube? Pleeeeeease?
    AmyRuth

    PS I also like the little photo just to the right over there---->
    Looks like a rose, maybe a vanilla buttercream anyway they are beautiful and you have it down for sure.

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  4. i wish i could frost cupcakes that were as pretty as yours!!

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  5. That Hersheys cake recipe is the bomb! Your cupcakes are stunning!

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  6. Steph, your piping skills never fail to amaze me. This is just stunning! I've never piped ganache so I do appreciate the tip. I am pretty sure that all I can manage are swirls though :( I'm going to need to get a book or go for a class or something.

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  7. You did a FANTASTIC job frosting these! Who even cares about fondant??

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  8. Wow how do you decorate your cupcakes so beautifully like that? Beautiful!

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  9. Wowow that is an amazing job! :)

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  10. These look amazing!! I've recently tried working with ganache and I can't wait to try it whipped like these!

    Yummo!

    <3 Betsy
    http://javacupcake.com

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  11. Wow, those are almost criminal to eat! So perfect!

    I made fondant for a cake last year, though I used a marshmallow fondant and it was incredibly simple. Since it's basically pure sugar, it tasted good, too. I still have some left in a bag and I imagine it'll last as long as a Twinkie.

    I'm really been meaning to try the NYT cookie recipe!

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  12. What a nice treat to bake. They are so nice.

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  13. Can I just say that without a doubt - those rosettes (or swirls, to us piping-wannabes) are the best I have seen! The are so unique and wonderful (I must save this photos and try to copy the technique) - it's exquisite (outside of the fantastic texture of the ganache)!

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  14. I love the rose swirls. They are absolutely fantastic!

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  15. Gorgeous piping, and the cut outs are soooo cute!

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  16. These are simply gorgeous! I love the rose swirls- they look absolutely perfect!

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  17. Wow! Those are so pretty! Very well done! I love love love chocolate ganache. Is the cake recipe a good recipe? I've been looking for a great go-to chocolate cupcake recipe.

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  18. Wow, Steph, these are such gorgeous cupcakes!! Great photo too. The Hershey's perfectly chocolate recipe is a winner every time.

    Thanks for your comment on my brownies today :) I definitely preferred these over the KA brownies, but I felt much guiltier eating these! I wonder if these would be any good if I substituted whole wheat flour...

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  19. I agree, fondant is so pretty, but it's icky! Love the idea of adding little fondant cutouts! These cupcakes are gorgeous.

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  20. Those are so amazing! Can I ask what tip you used to pipe the ganache?

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  21. These are absolutely beautiful! Wow, I would love to have one of these for Valentines....or any day!

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  22. Oh my! Those are gorgeous! The swirl makes them look like massive chocolate roses- yum!

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  23. Those are so beautiful! I always use the Hershey Chocolate cake recipe. It's the best!!!

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  24. Um, these are beautiful. I'll have to try this recipe for cuppies one day... when I'm not backlogged on recipes.

    Ps. Wheeeeeeeeen will there be a teaser trailer for eclipse? I mean... really? It's supposed to come out this summer and there's no trailer? WTH?!

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  25. Beautiful! I, too, would like to know what tip and technique you used to get the frosting to look that way. You made it look so seamless - love it!

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  26. tchris and jami - She mentioned which tip she used in the post above. :)

    These cupcakes are perfect. They are indubitably the best cupcakes I've ever seen. Hershey's recipe is my go-to recipe as well. I just use buttermilk and espresso powder in the recipe, though, to make it even more intense and moist!

    I hope you can do a tutorial on your decorations.

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  27. Oh, those just look picture perfect pretty (try saying that three times fast) :o) Love the frosting swirl. Great job!! I only recently found your blog and I'll be back for sure.

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  28. Oh my gosh, those are adorable! and perfect to boot. I like the Hershey's choco cake too.

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  29. I suck at piping..... Yours are gorgeous!

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  30. Perfect perfect perfect cupcakes!!!

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  31. A classic recipe made insanely beautiful! I'm so glad you commented on my blog so I could discover yours. Wonderful work!

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  32. Hi

    This is the most beautiful piping I ever see. Can I know the size and brand of piping tip you are using? Thanks.

    Regards,
    Lalaland

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  33. Do you pipe from inner first or you start from outside?

    Kium

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  34. I completely agree about fondant. Beautiful work!

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  35. that looks SO good! I was thinking of making something like this (ie. chocolate cake with ganache frosting) for valentines day!

    mmmm....sooo gooodddd

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  36. You are like a master piper!! beautiful!

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  37. Adorable. The frosting looks like a budding rose!

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  38. Those are just lovely. I'm with you on the taste of fondant, but everything I've read says you're not really supposed to eat it.

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  39. Steph! Your cupcakes are stunning!!! I worked with fondant yesterday, while I liked working with it, it tastes terrible.

    I'm almost too embarrassed to ask you to vote for my team's cake.

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  40. I've made that cake in a cake as well - it's the best. Your cupcakes are perfect - very nice job on the icing!

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  41. These look so beautiful and elegant. I absolutely love them.

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  42. Those are amazing! I would love to be able to do icing like that!

    I'm following your blog now! :)

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  43. Absolutely gorgeous! What a cool idea frosting them from the inside out!
    Your site it so cute!

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  44. These look gorgeous! I love how the frosting looks like a flower. Well done. Wish I could reach into the computer and grab one!

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  45. Edible art :-) Beautiful rose icing!

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  46. I just found your blog and I am so glad I did. Those cupcakes are BEAUTIFUL and they look delicious.

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  47. waaaiiiiiiiit wait wait... screencaps? how did i miss this? i'm so out of the loop it's insane! fill me innn!

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  48. I think these are the most beautiful cupcakes I've ever seen! Love, love, love the frosting!

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  49. Your cupcakes look very pretty and I am sure they were delicious.

    Sharona May

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  50. Beautiful - I love the ganache piping action! I agree about the fondant. I remember the first time we completely enclosed a cake with that stuff at culinary school - I wanted to cry because it tasted like sugary plastic. And it looks like sugary plastic. Except you've managed to make yours look really cute.

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  51. They looks so pretty all swirl frosted and flower bedecked!
    ~ingrid

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  52. Steph those are some absolutely perfectly iced cupcakes!! I'm so jealous. I need to learn how to use an icing tip. Maybe if you used a pound cake under fondant? Or, and I'm not sure if this would work, but if you used a tres leches style cake. It's kind of like an egg white cake that has condensed milk/evaporated milk/heavy cream mixture poured on top so it's really moist.

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  53. Looks like I'll be picking up a new pastry tip. Love the look you get with a 2D! Of course I will first have to check that I don't already own it and have just not figured out that I can do this with it. Such great looking cupcakes!

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  54. Oh my, Steph! Those cupcakes are spectacularly done. 1M? Please do a post on how to achieve that perfection!! Hershey's recipe is something I use a lot for cupcakes, I find it too flimsy for using in cakes!

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  55. Sorry.. I meant to say 'What about 1M? Is this bigger or smaller, or a completely different tip?

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  56. The 2D design is excellent! Skeptical that I could reproduce it myself...but it looks really nice.

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  57. I know I already asked you this - and I did think I subscribed for follow up e-mail - maybe mail me? Did you do a post already on how to ice these? Could you do a step by step photo shoot- or a video - or something. They are GORGEOUS and I must learn how. What is it called?
    XO
    Valerie

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  58. I absolutely love your cupcakes! They are perfect! I aspire to be like you.

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  59. Great recipe! I tried it and the cupcakes came out beautifully. I hope you don't mind that I put the recipe on my own recipe blog (I do give you credit, though). Check it out; my friend drew a beautiful flower on the cupcake, and I would love your input.
    http://sweetkoshersalt.tumblr.com/post/453859525/party-food-chocolate-cupcakes

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  60. I am a high school student, and I told one of my teachers that I love to bake and I want to own my own bakery one day. So she, in her amazing supportiveness, gave me the idea to talk to the owner of a store downtown where I live called Sweet Love. They sell wedding dresses and cupcakes (odd combination, haha) and see if she would be willing to try something I make. So I talked to her, and she said she would love to try it, as long as I make cupcakes, haha. So after searching and searching the internet, these are the cupcakes I plan to make for her. They look fabulous!

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  61. These are simply amazing! I love it. They are so pretty and they really looked so delicious!

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  62. OMG! I love what you did with your frosting, so beautiful!! Really love it!! :)

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  63. Very pretty! I'm impressed with your decorating skills!

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  64. These are lovely!!

    I use a fondant called Satin ice to cover my cakes & it taste so much better than any I've used. It has changed many whom don't like it into lovers.. Also you can flavor any premade fondant you by, you just work & knead the flavoring in like you would the coloring. You can also make your own & it'll taste wonderful!!! Just use a marshmallow base. They also make it in chocolate, buttercream (it's great!) and many other flavors & colors. You should go on whole sale sites & ask for the free samples, some samples you a have to pay a dollar or two for, but it's worth it to find one you will love.
    I think you would do amazing work with fondant, that's why I'm telling you about it.. I know your work would be BEAUTIFUL!!!
    Give it a try :c)

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  65. You say you stick the ganache in the fridge bf whiping. At what point do you whip it? After it turns completely solid or is just soft? I've had a hard time with ganache because it would get solid and then when I fill the bag there are still some pieces that get stuck in the tip and it gets very frustrating. Whipping it after it cools might help?

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  66. Oh! thank you for indicate which tip you used!
    I spent a year trying to find out what is the better tip to use for the rose cake and cupcakes. The ones I have are not good for this job, but I didn't want to buy something wrong (again!!) Yours are very nice!
    Thank you!

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