Sometimes, you just need a chocolate fix. And not an “oh-I’ll-just-eat-a-few-chocolate-chips-from-the-bag” kind of fix. You need a real chocolate dessert, one with so much chocolate in it that you almost question your ability to finish. That is, you almost question your ability to finish, but then push that thought aside because you don’t need that kind of negativity in your life. That’s where these Quadruple Chocolate Cupcakes come into play. Yeah, you read that right. Quadruple Chocolate Cupcakes.
For chocolate emergencies, I recommend eating one cupcake as needed until chocolate cravings subside. Side effects may include excessive smiling and/or finger licking. Despite the title of this post, death is (probably) not a side effect, although you may feel like you’ve died and gone to heaven. See your doctor only to tell them how awesome these cupcakes are.
The original recipe says they’re the “Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes”, and I totally agree. There are 4 DIFFERENT TYPES of chocolate loaded into each and every one of these cakes.
A moist chocolate cupcake, topped rich chocolate ganache, topped with heavenly chocolate buttercream, sprinkled with mini chocolate chips. Because why not? Honestly, I would’ve been okay with dipping the whole thing in chocolate for a fifth layer of crazy-decadent awesomeness.
Is your mouth watering yet?
Okay, enough torture. Check out the recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod below, with my comments in bold. And then prepare yourself to make the best chocolate cupcakes of your life.
Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes
Prep Time: 20 minutes // Cook Time: ~20 minutes // Serves 28 (I only made 24)
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa (I used Hersey Unsweetened Cocoa Powder)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk (I used 1% because that’s what was in my fridge)
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
For the chocolate ganache:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
For the chocolate buttercream frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips, for decorating, optional (NOT OPTIONAL. ADD THE CHOCOLATE CHIPS 🙂 )
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute or until batter is smooth. Slowly pour in boiling water and mix until batter is smooth. Don’t over mix.
4. Fill liners about 1/2 full with batter. Bake cupcakes for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack before frosting.
5. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. In the bowl of stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix until the frosting is smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. Drizzle in the cooled melted chocolate and beat on medium speed until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
6. To make the chocolate ganache, add the chocolate chips to a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat just until it bubbles around the edges or you can heat it in the microwave. Pour cream over the chocolate chips. Let the mixture stand for 30 seconds, then stir until the chocolate melts and a smooth ganache comes together, about 1-2 minutes.
7. Place the frosting in a pastry bag. Spoon the ganache onto the center of the cupcake. Spread to the edge of the cupcake. Let the cupcakes sit until the ganache firms up, about 5 minutes. Pipe chocolate buttercream frosting over the ganache. Decorate with mini chocolate chips, if desired.
Note-if you want to pipe a high frosting swirl on the cupcakes, you might need to double the frosting recipe. It just depends on how high you go with the frosting. (I piped all of mine like the pictures above and I only needed to make a single batch of frosting!)
