Death By Chocolate Cupcakes

Last week I was sick. And then because I was sick, my husband got sick too. So together, we were sick… and crabby… and with no volunteers to venture forth to the mystical land of groceries so we could actually eat and get better. What’s a couple to do in a situation like that? Two words: call Mom. So we called my mother-in-law and pleaded, ever so nicely, for her to bring us some basic food so that we might eat and recover. And she did. What’s more, she wouldn’t even let us pay her back for the groceries! So baked goods as pay back it is!

Death By Chocolate Cupcakes
Yields 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:
1 stick (113 grams) butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sour cream

For the filling:
1 package Jello chocolate pudding
2 cups milk

For the frosting:
3 1/2 sticks (396 grams) butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder

To make my life a little easier (and the blog less redundant), I’ve detailed the making of basic chocolate cupcakes here since I use the recipe quite a bit, like in this recipe. While those chocolate cupcakes bake, you can go ahead and start on the chocolate pudding filling. I used a package of Jello chocolate pudding, and followed the directions on the back to add two cups of milk, bring to a boil, and then let cool. Be sure to let both the cupcakes and pudding cool all the way before combining the two. Once both are cooled, cut a cone-shaped hole in the top of each cupcake. Add about a teaspoon of pudding to each, so that the pudding filling is just below the edge of the cupcake. Trim down the cones you took out of the cupcakes so you have a thin top left, and lay that over the pudding filling.

Cutting out the center

Filling

And replacing the tops

Once the cupcakes are filled, you can go ahead and make the frosting to cover the cuts made for the filling. I seriously, SERIOUSLY thought about topping these with a rich chocolate ganache frosting, but that seemed like a bit too much chocolate, and we’re not going for a literal death by chocolate here. Although really, if I were to choose how I go, too much chocolate would probably be topping that list… So as not to be overkill, I went with a solid chocolate buttercream (but if you really want the ganache frosting, you can find the recipe here). In a large bowl, cream the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and mix again until smooth. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag, and pipe with a tip of your choosing.

Look at that ooey gooey center!

Happy baking!