Reminder: I'm not a chocolate fan. A few years ago, Target launched their Choxie brand of chocolates. They looked so good that even a non-chocolate eater such as myself had to splurge and buy some. I remember reading rave reviews of the spicy chocolate but I don't remember if I actually tried it or not. But I decided that this would be fantastic in a cupcake! Once again, no pictures :( But just to give your eyes something to look at, here's my blurry devil's food with whipped chocolate ganache again!
The spicy chocolate ones looked similar to these, except they were topped with a chocolate cream cheese frosting that was piped in a similar fashion to my Drunken Cupcakes. I attempted to top them with some red round nonpariels I have, but I think I waited too long after piping and they mostly didn't stick. Oh well. Here's the recipe I used (I adapted a few recipes I found, so I don't have to link to anything here!)
4oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/8-1/4 tsp ground chipotle pepper*
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1. Boil 1 1/4 cup water.
2. Combine chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium sized bowl, add boiling water, whisk until smooth, set aside.
3. Sift flours, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Add the chipotle and cinnamon, set aside.
4. In a standing mixer, beat butter until creamy.
5. Add the brown sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
6. At medium speed, add eggs one at a time, beat well between each.
7. Add sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined.
8. Add about a third of the flour mixture, beat briefly until combined.
9. Add about half of the chocolate mixture, beat briefly until combined.
10. Repeat, adding flour, chocolate, then flour. Beat until just combined. Scrape down bowl if needed.
11. Fill cupcake papers about 3/4s full. Bake at 350 degree oven for 22-25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean
*I ended up using about 1/4 tsp and probably more of the chipotle because it didn't have the aroma or strong flavor that I was looking for. I think next time I'll just omit the cinnamon, since it made it taste more like a spice cake than a true chipotle chocolate cupcake. I made them for some friends that came over for dinner one night and they seemed to like them. I also had my mom try one the next day when she came over. She likes chocolate, but has the lowest tolerance for anything spicy of anyone I know, even me. I think she was a little hesitant at first, but even she liked them. They had just enough spice to make you curious after you swallowed them. It was more like an aftertaste effect and I think they turned out just fine. I topped them with a chocolate cream cheese frosting, because I am obsessed with cream cheese frostings :)
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
8oz cream cheese (room temp)
1/2 stick unsalted butter (room temp)
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth
2. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating in between additions until combined
3. Add cocoa powder, beat until combined
*I don't like chocolate, and I LOVED this frosting. I ate a few of the cupcakes, and I was pleased with the way the flavors all combined. Definitely something I'll make again (without the cinnamon), especially since that have a bit of an unexpected "wow" factor to them...
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