Chocolate Kahlua Cupcakes

As promised, Chocolate Kahlua Cupcakes!

A moist chocolate cupcake filled with rich chocolate ganache, and topped with Kahlua Buttercream! Brings out the chocolate lover in all of us.

For the cupcakes:

1 3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp cream + enough hot water to make 1 cup

1 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Oven at 350 degrees. Two regular sized muffin tins, lined or greased and floured. Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy (two minutes? three?). While it is beating - sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Back to the mixer, add in the eggs one at a time, beating after each until it is well mixed. Beat in the vanilla extract until just incorporated. Mix in half the flour mixture on medium speed. Then mix in the hot water/cream. Then the remaining flour mixture. Let it sit until cooled. Meanwhile pulse the chocolate chips until coarsely chopped. When the batter has cooled, stir in the chocolate. Put in muffin tins, slightly above a 1/4 cup in each. Bake until toothpick comes out clean, but a few crumbs are ok. ((if they look done but the tester comes out completely gooey, you might have stuck it through a melted chocolate morsel, so try again)) Mine took about 19-21 minutes, but all ovens are slightly different.

For the ganache:

1 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Bring cream just to a boil, pour over chocolate. Let sit for a minute or two, then whisk until no lumps remain and it is glossy. Let cool to room temperature for 2-3 hours, or put in the refrigerator and stir occasionally, until it is spreadable and doesn't drip much.

For the Kahlua buttercream:

4 tsp meringue powder

4 tbsp warm water

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup Kahlua

3/4 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt chocolate chips, and set aside to cool. With an electric mixer, beat meringue powder and water until soft peaks form. Add sugar slowly, and beat until glossy and stiff peaks form. Add in butter in small increments (about 1-2 tbsp at a time) making sure it gets all mixed in before adding more. Beat in cooled chocolate at medium speed. Beat in Kahlua about 1 tbsp at a time until you get the taste and consistency you want.

Assembling the cupcakes:

After the cupcakes have cooled, cut a small cone shape out of the top of each. Then, cut off the bottom of the cone so you are left with a hole in the cupcake and a round "lid". Fill the hole with the cooled ganache (I piped it in). Put the lid on. Then, top with the buttercream (again, I piped it on, but with no tip on my piping bag). I also topped mine with a roasted espresso bean on the very peak.

Enjoy!!!