I haven't made these yet, but the cream filling is delicious!
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2-oz dark chocolate
1 cup water, boiling
Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease two 12-cup muffin tins.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in
eggs one at a time, followed by sour cream and vanilla extract.
Stir the cocoa powder and the dark chocolate into the boiling water
(easiest in a large measuring cup). Pour chocolate water into the rest
of the batter and stir until uniform.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Add half of
flour mixture to the butter mixture, followed by the chocolate mixture,
followed by the addition of the rest of the flour mix. Stir well
between each addition and mix until no streaks of flour remain.
Evenly distribute batter into prepared baking cups. Bake for 13-15
minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the cakes spring back when
lightly pressed. (It’s fine if you can’t fit both trays into the oven at
the same time, just wait until one batch finishes before putting in the
second pan)
Turn cupcakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting and filling.
Vanilla Cream Filling
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup milk (low fat is fine)
1/2 cup butter (or trans fat-free shortening)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 scraped vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
Whisk together the flour and milk and cook in a small saucepan over
medium heat until thick. This will only take a few minutes. Sir
continuously to prevent the mixture from clumping and do not bring all
the way to a boil. When thickened (consistency will be that of a thin
pudding or custard), strain with a mesh strainer into a small bowl,
cover with plastic wrap and let cool completely to room temperature.
When the milk mixture is cool, cream the butter (or shortening) and
sugar together in a medium bowl until lightl. Add in the milk/flour
mixture and the scraped vanilla bean seeds (or vanilla extract) and beat
at high speed with an electrick mixer for 7 minutes, until light and
fluffy. Scrape into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip, or a large
ziplock bag with the corner cut off, and set aside until ready to fill
your cupcakes.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat, with an electric
mixer, until frosting is creamy, 3-5 minutes. Add additional powdered
sugar as needed to achieve a thick, but not stiff, frosting that is easy
to spread. Add additional milk, if necessary, to thin the frosting if
it gets too thick.
Assembly
(A photo how-to of the assembly method can be
found here.)
Take a cooled cupcake and, using a small pairing knife, cut a cone of
cake (1-inch across by 1-inch deep) out of the top. Trim off the pointy
end of the cone, leaving a flat circle of cake. Set aside and repeat
this process for all the cupcakes.
Take the cream filling and squeeze a tablespoon or so into each cupcake
cavity, filling the hole up to the top with filling. Top off with a flat
circle of cake to plug the hole and keep the filling in place.
Using a butter knife or a small offset spatula, frost each cupcake with a
layer of chocolate buttercream frosting. Place a dollop of icing in the
center of the cupcake (on top of the cut out circle of cake) and spread
from the center to the sides of the cupcake.
If you have leftover filling, transfer it to a fresh ziploc bag and cut a
very small opening in one corner. Pipe a swirly line down the center of
each cupcake.
Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Makes 2-dozen.
http://bakingbites.com/2007/09/devils-food-cupcakes-with-vanilla-cream-filling/
