There is a scene in the movie This is 40 that I relate to on a very deep level…
Do you know the scene I’m talking about? The one where Paul Rudd throws away cupcakes in an attempt to try and be healthy, and then eats the cupcakes out of the garbage…
Yeah I feel that so much.
I don’t bake cupcakes often, but when I do, and I take that first bite… I can’t help but wonder why it’s been so long since I baked a batch.
These chocolate cupcakes are my absolute fav. They are moist, rich, velvety, fudgey chocolate cupcakes, with the perfect little puffed up round tops. This recipe never fails.
Just a quick final note that there is coffee in this recipe, which is present to enhance the flavour of the chocolate. So if you are worried the taste will be too strong from the coffee, let me assure you that you really don’t even taste it.
Here is the recipe friends. Enjoy!
Marbled Chocolate & Cream Filled Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes
Things you need…
Chocolate Cupcakes
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 cups freshly brewed coffee
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Vanilla & Chocolate Cream Filling
1 cup whipping cream
3 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp cocoa powder (* reserved for the chocolate half)
Marbled Vanilla & Chocolate Buttercream
3 cups icing sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened(I like to use salted butter. Cuts the sweetness)
1 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2-3 tbsp milk or cream
1/4 cup cocoa powder (*reserved for chocolate half)
1 tsp espresso powder (optional)
Chocolate Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with your favourite parchment liners.
Sift the cocoa powder into a small mixing bowl. Brew 1 cup worth of coffee, and pour the hot coffee over the cocoa powder. Whisk until fluid; set aside to cool slightly.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, granulated and brown sugars until pale and fluffy. Next, add the eggs in one at a time, beating well after each addition and being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Next add the vanilla and beat until fluffy.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. Pour the buttermilk into the coffee/cocoa mixture and stir to combine.
Next, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to your mixing bowl with the creamed butter/sugar/egg mixture; beat on low speed until just combined. Now add 1/2 of your coffee/buttermilk liquid to the batter and beat on low; scrape down the sides of the bowl. Repeat this process one more time and then finish by adding the final 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the batter and beat until there are no lumps in the batter, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally and being careful not to over mix.
Using an ice cream scoop, fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 of the way full. Bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops spring back to the touch.
Remove cupcakes from the oven, and allow to cool completely before filling & frosting.
Whipped Cream Filling
In a bowl, beat together whipped cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until it just begins to get thick. Pour half of the whipped cream mixture into a separate bowl, and set aside. Continue beating the one bowl of whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Set in the fridge until ready to use.
For the chocolate whipped cream, take the other bowl of partially whipped cream and add the cocoa powder. Beat until stiff peaks form. Set in the fridge until ready to use.
Marbled Buttercream
In a bowl, beat your butter until smooth. Add in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, mixing on low until each addition is combined. Add vanilla and 1 tbsp of milk. Turn mixer on high to whip for 5 minutes, until your frosting is fluffy and a pillowy white colour. Stop your mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of your bowl. If your frosting is too stiff, add more milk 1 tbsp at a time.
Remove half of the vanilla frosting and set aside. To the original mixing bowl add cocoa powder and beat another 2 minutes until combined and fluffy.
Assembly
Once your cupcakes are cool, use a knife to cut a 1 inch circle in the center of each cupcake and pull out the little cupcake top, leaving a hole in the center.
Fill the cupcakes holes with enough cream to just reach the top. You can simply alternate vanilla & chocolate fillings.
To frost your cupcakes, you can spread the frosting on with a knife, or you can pipe the vanilla and chocolate frosting on to the cupcakes as desired.
You can choose if you want to pipe just chocolate or just vanilla onto your cupcakes, but if you want to try marbling your frosting as I did in the photos, you will have to fill your piping bag with half chocolate and half vanilla frosting and pipe like that.
