Dark chocolate cupcakes topped with ganache and vanilla buttercream– so rich and smooth because they are flour-less (lets hear it for my gluten-free friends!!)!!! YUM!
Ingredients: (makes about 40 mini cupcakes)
Cupcakes:
- 1 1/2 cups of dark chocolate chips
- 1 stick (4 oz.) salted butter
- 2 T. cocoa powder
- 4 egg yolks
- 6 egg whites
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 c. sugar
Ganache:
- 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
Frosting:
- 1 stick (4 oz.) salted butter (room temp)
- 1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter (room temp)
- 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 2 t. clear vanilla flavoring
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate with butter in 30 second increments, stirring between until smooth and creamy.
- Whisk cocoa powder into melted chocolate.
- Add egg YOLKS and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and whisk until foamy.
- Add sugar gradually to egg whites while beating on high until medium peaks form.
- Add 1/3 of egg whites to chocolate and mix well- until completely combined and smooth.
- Add remainder of egg whites and fold in gently until completely incorporated.
- Spoon batter into mini-cupcake liners in tins and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool completely. (Cupcakes will rise high in oven and as they cool they will sink and even become a little concave— perfect spot for our yummy ganache to sit!!)
- To make the ganache, heat chips and whipping cream in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until completely melted and smooth.
- Gently spoon or pipe ganache into the concave top of each cupcake until all ganache is used up.
- Allow ganache to cool and harden (place in fridge to speed this process up)
- Make frosting by combining remaining room temperature butters with powdered sugar and vanilla and beating on high until light and fluffy.
- Pipe frosting on tops of each cupcake, covering the ganache.
- Decorate as desired.
My thoughts: Usually, I use a cake mix for my cupcakes and focus on the fillings and frostings for that “wow” factor. The wow factor in these is definitely the cupcakes themselves….wow. I tried cupcakes made with a flour-less recipe this past weekend in Chicago at Molly’s cupcakes. (AMAZING!) I just had to try making them for myself and the reason I made them mini is because they are SO rich and heavy. A full-size cupcake would be too much. These cupcakes are definitely worth the extra effort! The tiny hearts on top I just made on wax paper using Wilton’s candy melts. Click here for some photos of how to pipe designs in chocolate. Enjoy!!! -r
