Graces Devilish Chocolate Cupcakes Recipes

DEVILISH CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes, using water, oil and eggs. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely.
• Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. Melt candy melts as directed on package; spoon into resealable food-storage plastic bag. Seal bag; cut off tiny corner of bag. Squeeze bag to pipe melted candy into devils' horn and tail shapes on parchment paper. Refrigerate 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Beat in vanilla and food color. Pipe or spread frosting on cupcakes. Insert horns and tail into frosting on each cupcake.

DEVIL'S FOOD CUPCAKES WITH CHOCOLATE ICING

Steps:

• Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place a cupcake liner into each section of an 8-cupcake tin. Whisk together flours, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and reserve. Combine sour cream and buttermilk in a small bowl and reserve. Combine butter, oil and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, scraping down sides of bowl, until sugar has dissolved and mixture is light in color, about 1 minute. Add egg and egg white and beat an additional 1 minute. Add 1/3 of flour-cocoa mixture, then 1/3 sour cream buttermilk mixture, mixing well after each addition. Repeat with remaining dry and wet ingredients. Distribute batter evenly among 8 cupcake tins. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool slightly, transfer to wire racks and cool completely, 10 to15 minutes.
• Combine confectioners' sugar and milk in a small saucepan and heat over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Add chocolate and stir until melted and icing is the consistency of thick pancake batter; add more milk if necessary. While still warm, top each cupcake with 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons icing. Let icing harden completely, about 10 minutes.
• Place cream cheese in a small microwave-save bowl and microwave on high for approximately 10 to 15 seconds, until cream cheese is melted but before it begins to bubble. Add confectioners' sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Let mixture cool slightly and transfer to a small plastic bag. Snip just the very bottom corner of the bag, then force icing to bottom of bag. Pipe a squiggle of icing down the center of each cupcake.

DEVIL'S FOOD CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.
• Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
• To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting.

CHOCOLATE DEVIL'S FOOD CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Whisk together boiling water and cocoa. Cover and set aside. With a mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue creaming until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder and add this mixture, alternately with the buttermilk. Add cocoa and water mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Scoop into cupcake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Let cool completely before decorating. Dip tops of cooled cupcakes in the warm ganache and let set. Pipe more ganache on top for decoration. To fill, put buttercream in a pastry bag with a small round tip. Stick tip into the center of each cupcake and pipe in filling. Be careful not to pipe too much or you will break the cupcake. Serve.
• Chop chocolate and place in a stainless steel or glass bowl. Bring cream and sugar just to a boil in a small saucepan and then pour over chocolate. Whisk together and then stir in butter until melted.
• Whisk together the egg whites and sugar in a stainless steel bowl. Place bowl in a water bath set over low heat. Whisk occasionally until sugar is dissolved and mixture is very warm, about 150 degrees F. Remove from water bath and whip with a hand-held mixer on high speed until stiff peaks. Lower speed and add the butter in small pieces. Add vanilla and violet essence and mix until smooth. Add violet color, 1 drop at a time, until desired shade is reached. Use to fill cupcakes as directed above.