Enchanted Spice Recipes | Kitchen Project

Chocolate Blackout Cupcakes

This is a nice presentation of a cake that was popularized around WW11
In Brooklyn at Ebinger's Bakery

This cake is a rich chocolate cake made richer by using a good quality baking cocoa, (Dutch processed preferably) and a pudding infused with unsweetened dark chocolate.
The center of the cupcake is scooped out and filled with a rich chocolate pudding. Instead of traditional frosting some of the pudding is spread on top and finished with some crumbs from crisp chocolate wafers cookies or traditionally some of the crumbs from the scooped centers.

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

Yield: 24 regular size cupcakes.

For the cake:

  • 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for the pans
  • 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¾ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1 cup brewed coffee (I used espresso)
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

 

For the pudding:

  • 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 6 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ¼ cup cornstarch, sifted
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.

2.Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the cocoa and cook until fragrant, 1- 2 minutes.Off the heat, whisk in the coffee, buttermilk, and sugars until dissolved. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla,

3. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture till smooth.

4. You want to fill the cupcake paper about 2/3 full. Do not overfill or it will overflow or have a lopsided dome top.I did a sample to test for the size. This baked for 20 minutes.
Fill the rest of the cupcake papers and bake for about 20 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
The cupcakes will need to cool to room temperature before filling. You can also fill them the next day.

Meanwhile make the pudding while the cupcakes are baking.

5. Chop the Chocolate for the pudding.

6. in a small bowl mix the cornstarch with the milk.

Heat up the half and half in a saucepan till it is about 180 degrees F or tii starting to steam. Do not let it boil. Add the cornstarch mixture and continue to stir over the heat till it thickens.

7. Add the sugar, salt, vanilla extract and chocolate,
blend until smooth.
Let the pudding cool to room temperature or overnight if you want.

8. Scoop out the center of each cupcake with a melon baller or similar
utensil and fill with some of the pudding. Use a spreader to spread some
of the pudding on top of the cupcake.

9. I used famous chocolate wafers crushed them up and sprinkled them on top. This protects the pudding, and gives a nice crunchy topping.

The traditional way to top the cakes is with some of the crumbs that you keep with the cake you scoop from the centers. I dry out the crumbs just a bit on a sheet pan in the oven.

10. Finish the cupcakes with a little chocolate shavings. A carrot peeler works well.