It’s my birthday! Celebrate with me with cupcakes!
I am excited about what 29 holds for me. I will be a mom in 2 1/2 months to a sweet boy. There is so much I am looking forward to about motherhood. My husband and I will be first time homeowners. We are buying a fixer upper house and renovating it. The process of renovating the home is really exciting.
I am so blessed with how well my second cookbook is doing. If you haven’t already, pick up a copy of New Southern Table.
Enjoy sharing a delicious meal from the cookbook with your family and friends. You can visit me and taste my dishes at The COOP. There is a lot to look forward to career wise that I will keep you updated on.
Now let’s eat cupcakes!
Best Ever Devil’s Food Chocolate Cupcakes
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
2 cups pure cane sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon strong brewed coffee 1 cup hot water
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 ounce dark chocolate
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
Chocolate Ganache (see recipe below)
Toasted Coconut-Pecan Topping (see recipe below)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners.
Place the butter in a mixing bowl, and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the oil and sugar. Mix until combined. Add the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and coffee. In a small bowl mix together the hot water, cocoa powder, and chocolate. Add gradually to the batter, and beat until blended.
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the batter, beating on low speed until combined after each addition.
Fill each paper liner with about 1⁄ 4 cup of the batter. Bake the cupcakes for about 17 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool.
Glaze the cupcakes with slightly warm Chocolate Ganache or frost them with whipped ganache or Toasted Coconut-Pecan Topping.
Makes 24 cupcakes.
Chocolate Ganache
Chocolate Ganache may be used as a glaze for cupcakes or whipped and used as a frosting.
3 cups heavy cream
24 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee
Place the cream in a medium saucepan, and heat until warm over medium heat.
Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate, and let stand for 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Pour the coffee into the chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Use immediately as a glaze. Alternatively, make a frosting by letting the ganache cool for about 1 hour at room temperature and then beating it with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.
To glaze the cupcakes, dip them into the slightly warm ganache. To frost the cupcakes with the whipped ganache, spoon the thickened ganache into a gallon zip-top freezer bag. Snip a 1⁄2 -inch tip from the corner of the bag. Pipe the whipped ganache onto the cupcakes.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups glaze or 5 1/4 cups whipped ganache. Note: For a dark chocolate ganache substitute bittersweet chocolate.
Toasted Coconut-Pecan Topping
Toasted coconut pairs beautifully with Devil’s Food Chocolate Cupcakes. Try it as an alternative to the Chocolate Ganache.
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut, divided
2 cups coconut milk
2 cups pure cane sugar
6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups chopped pecans
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Evenly spread 1 cup of the coconut on a baking sheet, and bake for about 5 minutes,until golden brown, stirring halfway through the baking time.
Combine the coconut milk, sugar, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thickened and almost coating the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla, toasted coconut, remaining 2 cups shredded coconut, and pecans. Let cool and thicken at room temperature, or spoon into a bowl and refrigerate. Slightly warm the topping before frosting the cupcakes.
To frost the cupcakes, spoon the topping onto the cupcakes. Serve immediately.
Makes about 5 1/2 cups.
Note: Use the Toasted Coconut-Pecan Topping as a frosting for carrot, spice, and hummingbird cakes.
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