Chocolate Truffle Cupcakes

Dark Chocolate Truffles

1. Bring heavy cream and butter to a gentle boil.

2. Add the chopped bakers chocolate and gently stir until melted and smooth. 

3. Pour the melted chocolate mixture into a flat baking dish and place in the fridge to set up. 

4. Once the mixture has cooled completely, use a small spoon to scrape the mixture into at least 12 truffle sized balls.

5. Place these on a plate, cover, and refrigerate while you bake the cupcakes. 

Chocolate Cupcakes

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. In my mixer, I whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set this mixture aside.

3. Cream the softened butter and sugar together in a mixer. With softened butter, this usually takes about two minutes. Make sure that you stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically to ensure everything is mixed well. 

4. Once combined, add the egg and vanilla. Mix for another two minutes or until combined well. 

5. Add the sour cream and half of the flour mixture. Mix this until completely combined.

6. Now, add the milk and remaining flour mixture, gently stirring until it just comes together. It is better to have little lumps in the batter than to over mix at this point. 

7. Now, divide the batter evenly between twelve lined muffin cups. I use an ice cream disher to make this easier. 

8. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until the tops spring back.

9. Once the cupcakes are done remove them from the oven but leave them in the muffin pan. While they are still warm cut out a truffle sized hole in the center.

10. Place one of your hardened truffle balls into each warm cutout center. The truffle will melt down just a bit to moisten the cupcake. It won’t melt completely though.

11. Let the cupcakes cool completely in the muffin pan. If you try to remove the cakes while warm they will not hold up to the truffle centers. Once cooled and the truffle centers are set you can remove from the pan and frost with buttercream frosting. 

Chocolate Swirl Butter Cream Frosting

1. Cream the butter in a mixer for 5 minutes. The butter will almost be white, light, and fluffy,

2. Combine the vanilla and two cups of the powdered sugar into the butter.

3. Add the salt, and slowly add the remaining powdered sugar.

4. Now, add the cream a tablespoon at a time until you have a smooth spreadable constancy. 

5. Remove half of the vanilla frosting to a separate bowl.

6. Add the melted chocolate to the frosting remaining in the bowl. Beat this mixture well.

7. Then add additional power sugar until you reach a similar constancy as the vanilla.

8. Add a scoop of each frostings side by side in a piping bag, alternating till you fill the bag. Pipe frosting onto each cooled cupcake. The flavors should swirl together when you pipe them.