These hot chocolate cupcakes are so festive and delicious. These rich and moist chocolate cupcake are filled with a delicious hot fudge sauce and topped with a silky vanilla buttercream. They are decorated with cute mini marshmallows and a candy can sticks.
Preheat the oven at 160ºC conventional oven and line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners.
Start by boiling some water and weigh out the water so it can cool down a bit while preparing the other ingredients.
120 g boiling water
In a bowl, sift all of the dry ingredients together. Give it a stir to make sure everything is combined.
160 g all-purpose flour, 200 g granulated sugar, 50 g unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
In another mixing bowl add all of the wet ingredients, including the boiled water, and with a hand whisk, whisk them together until combined. Be sure to not mix the ingredients too vigorously so the eggs don’t get over mixed.
120 g sour cream, 18%, 75 g vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry while gently stirring it all together. Make sure there are no lumps left in the batter.
Divide the cake batter into the 12 cupcake liners and bake them for 20-23 min. Let the cupcakes cool in the hot pan. After 5 min, gently remove the cupcakes from the cupcake pan and let them cool down completely.
HOT FUDGE SAUCE
While the cupcakes bake, heat up the agave syrup, granulated sugar and milk, in a small saucepan, until the granulated sugar has melted and the milk is starting to bubble.
50 g granulated sugar, 25 g agave syrup, 60 g whole milk
Pour the heated milk and sugar over a bowl with the semi-sweet chocolate and cacao powder. Stir it together until the dark chocolate has melted and it’s gathered.
100 g semi-sweet chocolate, 10 g cocoa powder
Add the butter, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt and stir it in until the butter has melted into and combined with the hot fudge sauce.
15 g butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, Pinch salt
Cover it with cling film so it touches the surface of the sauce and let it cool down on the counter top.
VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
Mix the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer for 4 minutes on medium/high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for an additional 2 minutes.
200 g butter
Sift the powdered sugar. Add the powder sugar, vanilla extra and milk in 3 parts. Whipping until each addition is fully incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give the buttercream a final mix for 2 minutes.
Add the buttercream to a piping bag with a star piping tip e.g. a Wilton 1M.
ASSEMBLING
Using an end of a piping tip or similar, dig out the core of cupcakes, to make an indent for the hot fudge sauce. Add the hot fudge sauce in the middle of the cupcakes. Leave a little bit of he hot fudge sauce for the decorations.
Thereafter pipe the buttercream of the cupcake. For the decoration, if the fudge sauce has cooled down so it’s a bit thicker, heat it up in the microwave for 5-10 seconds, which will make it more fluid. Add it into a piping bag and cut a small hole. Drizzle the fudge sauce over the cupcakes. Decorated as well with mini marshmallows and candy cans.
Mini marshmallows for decorating, Candy stick for decorating