Saturday morning I woke up in need of chocolate. Like, it’s the only thing I could think about. Screw getting anything done around the house, laundry could wait, that dust ball in the corner was still going to be there tomorrow, but the level of chocolate craving hangry (so hungry you’re angry) was going to push me over the edge if it wasn’t resolved.
We started off with some nutella filled croissants for breakfast, because when Momma wants chocolate, the whole house benefits from it. That wasn’t enough though. I needed something REALLY chocolaty, rich, moist. I was daydreaming about it, staring at the Christmas tree, when I saw the only candy cane left that Sophie hadn’t ripped off. That was it. Mint chocolate. So, I whipped out a trusted chocolate cupcake recipe, along with a light and fluffy buttercream, and I went to town.
The cupcake base is just a basic chocolate cupcake, nothing fancy, but it’s definitely one that should become your go-to. It’s got a nice strong chocolate flavour, and a really moist crumb, but it’s still sturdy enough to hold up to any icing, or filling, that you want to throw at it. If you aren’t a mint person, well, I feel sorry for you, but the buttercream is a great, simple one to whip up, and if you leave out the extract, you’ve just got a nice chocolate buttercream to use.
To finish them off I just grabbed a few candy canes out of the cupboard, put them in a ziplock bag, and went to town bashing the crap out of them. It’s a great way to make the cupcakes look nice and festive, with a hint to what the flavour will be, in just 30 seconds. If you’re making something for the kids Christmas party at school, these would be a great option!
Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1¾ cups flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup hot water with ½ tbsp espresso powder mixed in
Mint Chocolate Buttercream
- 2 ounces (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tsp mint extract
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line two 12-cup muffin tins with liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- In another large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and water, and beat until well combined. Gently mix in the flour mixture until no dry spots remain and the batter is runny and smooth.
- Pour into the prepared cupcake pans, filling the liners up ¾ of the way.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean (just a few crumbs attached is ok). Let cool for five minutes in the pans, and then remove the cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
Mint Chocolate Buttercream
- While the cupcakes are cooling, make the buttercream.
- Carefully melt the chocolate in the microwave. I usually heat for 25 seconds, stir, then another 25 seconds and stir until everything has melted. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and melted chocolate and beat again, until combined. If you have a stand mixer, use it.
- Add the icing sugar and milk, and beat until well combined and very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the mint extract and beat for one more minute.
- Frost the cupcakes however you like. You can use a pastry bag fitted with a tip, or just spread it on with an offset spatula.
Garnish
- Unwrap 3 candy canes and place in a ziplock bag. Hit them with a rolling pin, until they're broken up into small pieces. Sprinkle over the top of the frosted cupcakes.
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