Chocolate Liqueur Chocolate Cupcakes
If you like chocolate, whipped cream, or alcohol, make these. If you don't like any of the three things mentioned, don't - who am I kidding, there's nobody that exists that doesn't like at least one of those things.
The word "chocolate" is mentioned two times in the title of this recipe. The reason for this is that these are chocolate cupcakes, but they also have chocolate liqueur added to them after they are baked. So that's why I wrote chocolate twice. Because there's two chocolate-y things in them. So it says chocolate twice in the title. Chocolate cupcakes + chocolate liqueur. Two different things. Both chocolate flavored. So two types of chocolate.
If you haven't exited the page yet, hi!
You know the famous Hershy's chocolate cake recipe? These cupcakes are better. Also, these have liqueur. And the liqueur is added AFTER the cupcakes are fully baked, so the fact (or fiction?) about alcohol content in recipes being burned off in the oven simply CANNOT apply to these. The alcohol DOES NOT go in the oven. Maybe don't feed these to an infant. Everyone else should be fine. You could also omit the liqueur entirely. BO-RING.
If you don't like a whipped cream frosting (I don't), don't worry, because it's optional. But, you're gonna have an ugly mark from where you cut out the cake to insert the liqueur, so you might want to think of something else to cover it with. Here's what I mean:
And after the ugly mark is all covered up:
chocolate liqueur chocolate cupcakes
Adapted from the cookbook "Cooking With Color Desserts"
Yield: 24 Cupcakes
1 tablespoon instant coffee
2 cups boiling water
1 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa
5 eggs
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
Dash of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Chocolate liqueur (about 8 tablespoons)
Whipped cream frosting:
2 cups whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners.
Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water in a bowl. Add in the cocoa and stir. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add in the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
Add the coffee mixture to the large bowl and whisk till just combined.
Fill liners almost to the top (3/4 way). Bake 18-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted is clean.
Assembly: Using a sharp knife, cut out a deep circle from the center (see photo above) of each cupcake. Pour chocolate liqueur into the hole. Fill the hollow center by replacing the piece you just cut out. (Alternatively, use the cut out piece as a crumb decoration on top of the frosting).
Whipped Cream: Insert a star tip into a large piping bag. Beat whipping cream, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar in a machine with a whip attachment on high until you achieve almost stiff peaks. Place frosting into piping bag and pipe spiral design, starting from the outer edges of the cupcake and working towards the center.
On a completely unrelated note, this is why I ALWAYS use a long spoon when I have cookies and milk:
PHOTO FROM DUMPday.com
