December's Cupcake Of The Month: Dark Chocolate and Peppermint

I hope you are all having a lovely December so far. Earlier this month, I was knee deep in work, tutoring, and finals, so of course, I welcomed my break with open arms. And even though I can't say that I've been particularly productive this break (what with my long to-do list of reading two book series, going back to the gym, and other miscellaneous tasks that I've been putting off), I have been enjoying the time I've spent with my family and friends. There's just something about the simple things in life like staying in for the night and watching a movie with my brothers or spending hours catching up with a friend over coffee that makes me so grateful for what I have. It's actually making me a little teary-eyed right now just thinking about it. But anyway... 

On a less serious note, another thing I'm really grateful for is chocolate. Especially when it's paired with almonds or mint. So I decided that, as a birthday present to myself, I'd center this month's cupcakes around chocolate and peppermint! I used the same recipe for the cupcakes as my chocolate and Chambord recipe and for the filling and frosting, I made a super simple whipped cream, flavored with peppermint extract and candies. I hope you enjoy this recipe! Cheers and happy holidays!


The Ingredients (makes about 2 dozen):
For the cupcakes:
-recipe can be found here
For the filling and frosting:
-2 cups heavy cream
-4 tbsp powdered sugar, or to taste
-2 tbsp peppermint extract, or to taste
-1/2 cup finely ground peppermint candies


The Directions:
1. Bake cupcakes as directed.
2. When cupcakes are cool, cut out the center of each cupcake.
3. Whip the cream until soft peaks form.
4. Slowly add the sugar, and then the extract and whip until firm peaks form.
5. Gently fold in the candies and then fill and frost cupcakes.
6. Consume and enjoy!

November's Cupcake Of The Month: Super Chocolate-y Vegan Cupcakes

Oi, almost another month gone already. All this time flying by has made me realize just how much I procrastinate. Seriously. My original plans for November were to get my hair cut, dye my hair again, bake two goods for National Vegan Month, catch up on reading, and respond to an invitation to meet up with a friend. So far, I've baked these cupcakes and kind of responded to the invitation. And by kind of, I mean, I told him the days I would be available in hopes that he would set a date because I'm indecisive as hell, but instead he said "whenever" is fine with him... Well, guess what, you can't spell "whenever" without "never" so I guess we can't be friends. Just kidding, I'll see him in a couple of weeks. 


But anyway, with Thanksgiving less than a week away, the holiday season is upon us! And for all of you Game of Thrones fans out there, winter is coming! So make sure to come back soon to check for more holiday-inspired goodies. And if you love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate, be sure to visit before Thanksgiving!


Now, finally, on to the cupcakes. You would never be able to guess that they're vegan just by tasting them. They're super moist and the super easy frosting makes them the perfect little animal product-free treat. Since I don't have a vegan recipe of my own, I borrowed this one from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World," written by two wonderful vegan bakers. And if cupcakes aren't your thing, they have other vegan cookbooks as well, including "Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar" and "Vegan Pie In The Sky". Hope you enjoy these as much as I did! 


The Ingredients (makes 1 dozen):
For the cupcakes (from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World):
-1 cup plain soy milk
-1 tsp apple cider vinegar
-1/2 cup unbleached cane sugar
-1/3 cup canola oil
-1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-1 cup all purpose flour
-1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-3/4 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-a pinch of salt
For the frosting:
-1/4 cup unbleached cane sugar
-1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-about 1/3 cup warm water


The Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your cupcake pan.
2. Whisk the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl and set aside to allow it to curdle.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Add the sugar, oil and vanilla to the soy milk and beat until foamy. Then add the dry ingredients in increments, mixing until smooth and combined and scraping the bowl between each addition.
5. Fill cupcake cups and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
6. Combine the sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl and whisk in a tablespoon of water at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Stir until smooth. If you're having trouble getting the sugar to dissolve completely, you can stir the mixture over a pot of simmering water.
7. Frost your cupcakes.
8. Consume and enjoy!

Jordan, my assistant for the day, picking out his reward

October's Cupcake Of The Month: Pumpkin Cupcakes

It's finally starting to feel like autumn now! Well, at least where I live. Last week, we had our first rain of the season, and after so many months of 90+ temperatures, it was really nice to be able to put on a jacket and a scarf. I didn't really appreciate that it rained two days after I washed my car though... but that always happens to me, so I don't really know why I'm surprised anymore.

In other news, I start my volunteer work with Reading Partners tomorrow! It's a program in California, New York, and Washington, D.C. that offers free tutoring to elementary school children who are behind in reading or are reading below grade level. I'm going to be tutoring twice a week, Mondays and Wednesdays, and I'm so excited! I have two students and I'm going to meet both of them this week. I'll only be spending an hour a day though so that means I'll only see each student once a week. But hopefully, my time spent with them will make a small difference. 

Anyway...

These cupcakes came out way better than I expected. They were moist and soft, even after spending a night in the fridge! And they smelled heavenly while they were baking. The cream cheese frosting that I made to go with it paired perfectly too. Sweet cinnamon with a slight tang from the cream cheese, and then this rich spicy goodness from the cake. Mmm... autumn at its finest.

The Ingredients (makes about 2 dozen):

For the cupcakes:

-2 cups flour
-3 tsp baking powder
-2 tsp baking soda
-1/4 tsp salt
-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-2 cups sugar

-1 1/4 cups plus 1 tbsp vegetable oil

-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2 cups pumpkin puree

-4 eggs

For the frosting:

-16 oz cream cheese, softened
-1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
-2 cups powdered sugar, or to taste, sifted
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 tsp ground cinnamon

The Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your muffin pan.

2. Sift together the flour, powder, soda, salt, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon and set aside.

3. Combine the oil and sugar in your mixing bowl. Blend in the vanilla and pumpkin. Then the eggs one at a time.

4. Add in the dry ingredients in increments, thoroughly mixing and scraping the bowl between each addition. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Rotate the pans halfway through to ensure even baking. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

5. Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth and combined. Mix in the vanilla and then slowly, about a tablespoon at a time, add in the sugar. Then add the cinnamon.

6. Frost cupcakes and garnish.

7. Consume and enjoy!

September's Cupcake Of The Month: cà phê đá (Vietnamese Coffee)

I can't believe it's the end of September already! It's crazy how fast time is flying by. Since my last recipe post in August, I've been busier than ever with school, babysitting and trying to keep up a social life so it was nice to finally be able to take some time out this weekend and not think about anything else but the recipe at hand. 


Now, it's been quite a while since I've attended school full time, so this fall was definitely a big change for me. At first, it was a little difficult keeping my dates for appointments and such in order, especially since I have the worst habit of never writing anything down or forgetting to write things down by the time I have a chance. I started mixing up dates or forgetting certain details, which at the end of August, completely threw me for a loop.


Someone had ordered a dozen and a half cupcakes from me for the first weekend of September but somehow when I went back to write it in my calendar, I wrote them down for the last weekend of August! And I didn't realize my mistake until I was standing there in my kitchen, with all the cupcakes ready to be frosted. Needless to say, I was pretty mad at myself. Mad that I had written down the wrong date, mad that I had gone so far into the cupcake-making process before realizing my mistake, and mad that I now had two dozen cupcakes to find homes for (which is actually harder than you'd think). Luckily, I know some of the most awesome people in the world who graciously ate multiple cupcakes just for me. 


Now to find people to eat these...


Overall, these cupcakes weren't bad, but they could have been better. As you could probably tell from the title of this recipe, these cupcakes were inspired by Vietnamese coffee. Unfortunately, they lacked that strong, distinct coffee flavor. That was mostly my fault, though, because I was lazy and used normal coffee instead of espresso or Cafe du Monde coffee. But if you don't have either of those on hand, I'd strongly recommend making some of the coffee syrup from my tiramisu cupcakes and doing the same thing I did in that recipe. The cupcakes also came out really fluffy, which I like, but they were also dry, so I added a tbsp of oil to the recipe below.


And again, I have no process pictures. I have this other bad habit of getting bored very easily. After about the hundredth time of taking pictures of the same thing (i.e. the batter making process), it starts to become repetitive, and not to mention, very time consuming. So I've decided that the only process pictures I will be taking now will be of techniques or steps I've never mentioned before, unless I have extra time and the steps aren't time sensitive.


Anyway, I hope you enjoy this recipe and of course, if there are any questions about this or any other recipe, past, present, or future, feel free to email me! I will be more than happy to answer them!


But seriously, the next time you're making Vietnamese coffee (or even just normal coffee) at home, try Cafe du Monde. You won't be disappointed.

The Ingredients (makes about one dozen):

For the cupcakes:

-1/2 cup butter, softened

-3/4 cup sugar

-1 1/2 cup flour

-1 1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/8 tsp salt
-3 eggs
-1 tbsp vegetable oil
-3/4 tsp vanilla
-3/4 cup espresso or very, very, very strong coffee

For the frosting:

-1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

-1/2 cup vegetable shortening

-1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, or to taste
-2 tsp vanilla
-pinch of salt

The Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your muffin pan.

2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl and set aside.

4. Add eggs, vanilla and oil one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition.

5. Add 1/3 of the dry to the wet, then 1/2 the espresso and alternate until you run out of both. Make sure to mix thoroughly and scrape the bowl, especially after adding the dry ingredients.

6. Once batter is smooth, bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

7. Cream the butter and shortening until well combined.

8. Slowly add in the condensed milk, scraping the bottom of the bowl to make sure nothing settles at the bottom.

9. Once the buttercream is sweet enough to your tastes, stir in the vanilla and salt.

10. Consume and enjoy!

August's Cupcake Of The Month: S'mores

Happy early National S'mores Day! Yup, you read right. There's a National S'mores Day and it falls on August 10th.


To celebrate this classic campfire treat, these cupcakes were made with graham cracker crumbs, filled with rich chocolate ganache and then topped with a marshmallow-type frosting. And because I wanted to make the cake even more graham cracker-y, I substituted some of the sugar with honey as well. I'm very happy with the results, even though my cake didn't come out tasting exactly like the crackers. But that was mostly due to my laziness. My house already had a box of graham crackers but they had a dusting of cinnamon so instead of going out and purchasing a new box of crackers that I knew I probably won't eat, I used what I had on hand instead. My friends told me the flavor of the cake almost resembled carrot cake, but it still went well with the melted chocolate filling and fluffy marshmallow frosting.


Unfortunately, I didn't take any process pictures for this recipe either. I recently got a new camera and it's one of those big fancy ones and, frankly, it just takes too much time for me to set everything up all pretty like. Especially when I have things that are time sensitive. I know, I know, excuses. But everything in this recipe is pretty straightforward. There aren't any steps that are advanced nor things that I haven't done before, just a lot of making sure things don't burn.


So anyway, make these cupcakes and invite your friends over to celebrate National S'mores Day! Or save all the cupcakes for yourself and let your friends enjoy the treat the old fashioned way instead. I won't tell.

The Ingredients (makes 1 dozen):
For the cupcakes:

-1 cup graham cracker crumbs

-1/2 cup flour

-1 1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/3 cup butter
-1/4 cup honey
-1/4 cup sugar
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 eggs
-1/3 cup milk
For the filling:

-3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

-1/4 cup heavy cream

For the frosting:

-3 egg whites

-1/2 cup sugar

-torch (optional)


The Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your muffin/cupcake pan.
2. Combine the cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
3. Cream the butter, honey and sugar. Mix in the vanilla then add the eggs one at a time.
4. Add 1/3 of the dry mixture to the wet, then 1/2 of the milk, another 1/3 of the dry, etc. until you run out of both. Mix and scrape between each addition!
5. Fill cups and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Rotate pans halfway through baking to ensure even baking. Allow to cool completely before filling and frosting.
6. While cupcakes are cooling, melt the chocolate chips and heavy cream together in a double boiler.

7. Using a paring knife or a melon baller, cut/scoop out the centers of the cupcakes and fill with the chocolate filling.
8. Beat the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form.
9. Frost the cupcakes and slightly toast the top. You can use a torch if you have one or you can set the cupcakes under the broiler for a few minutes. If you're using the oven, make sure you watch it!
10. Consume and enjoy!

July's Cupcake Of The Month: Butterbeer

When the Harry Potter series ended, it really felt like my childhood was ending. I mean, c'mon, Harry and I practically grew up together (practically... okay, maybe I'm just being dramatic)! And now the movies are coming to an end too! I'll admit it, though, I don't really love any of the movies. Yeah, there were some good ones, but then there were some really bad ones too (i.e. the sixth movie).


But with all that aside, as soon as I started doing the monthly cupcakes, I knew I had to make special ones for the last movie. And I figured, what would be more Harry Potter-ish than butterbeer cupcakes? Yeah, I could've just made the drink and called it a day, but c'mon, it's me. Cupcakes are always inevitable.


Unfortunately, I haven't gone to Harry Potter World yet, so my friend and I decided to try and make some of our own. We found a recipe here and set out to make this magical concoction. To be honest though, when we first started preparing the drink, it was a little off-putting. So much sugar and cream and butter... it was a little much for a girl who enjoys her bittersweets to take. And what I'm about to say next is probably going to make a lot of Potter fans hate me, but I really did not enjoy the butterbeer. Okay, that's a lie. I enjoyed the first few sips, but after that, the sweetness of the drink just kind of coated my mouth in a very unpleasant way. Now, I'm not saying that I won't ever drink butterbeer again... I mean, when I finally go to Harry Potter world, best believe that I'll be in line for one of their souvenir steins. But until then, I think I can do without.


So for the cupcakes, I tried my best to keep that butterbeer flavor but minus all the extra sweetness. If I made them again, I think I would've added a tsp of butter flavoring to the cake, but other than that, I'm pretty happy with what came out. If you want something a little sweeter, you can always make extra butterscotch sauce and fill the cupcakes with it. 


Anyway, hope you all enjoy the cupcakes!


The Ingredients (makes 2 dozen):
For the cupcakes:

-3 1/2 cups flour

-1 tbsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt

-1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

-1/2 cup sugar

-1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

-2 tbsp vegetable oil
-4 eggs
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 cup milk
-1/2 cup cream soda
For the butterscotch sauce:
-1 cup of butterscotch chips
-1/3 cup heavy cream

For the frosting:
-1 cup unsalted butter, softened
-1 cup vegetable shortening
-1 cup butterscotch sauce, or to taste


The Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your cupcake pans.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar until the butter is fluffy and everything is combined.
4. Add the eggs one a time, mixing until each one is just incorporated. Then add the vanilla and oil and mix well. In a separate bowl/cup, combine the cream soda and milk.
5. Add 1/3 of the dry mixture to the wet and mix until just combined. Then add half the cream soda and milk, mixing well, then another 1/3 of the dry, the second half of the soda/milk, and then the remaining flour. Make sure to scrape after each dry addition to ensure that everything gets mixed in.
6. Fill cupcake liners between 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up and bake for about 15 to 17 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
7. Combine the butterscotch chips and heavy cream in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir until smooth. Put aside to cool. If you don't feel like making your own butterscotch sauce, you can always grab a jar of it at the grocery store. I won't judge!
8. Whip the butter and shortening together until combined and fluffy.
9. Add the butterscotch sauce, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until well combined. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the bowl or some of the butterscotch will just sink to the bottom. Frost cupcakes.
10. Consume and enjoy!

June's Cupcake Of The Month: Lemon Meringue

Inspired by the cupcakes one can find in San Francisco's Cako and pushed by my love for all things citrus-y, I decided to finally make some of my own!

Since lemon meringue is one of the very few desserts I actually crave, I have a feeling I'll be making these often. After all, I'd much rather spend a couple hours in the kitchen than I would spending a couple hours driving somewhere just for some cupcakes.

The Ingredients (makes 1 dozen):
For the cupcakes:
-recipe can be found here

For the filling:

-1 egg

-1 yolk
-juice of 1 lemon

-1/2 cup butter

-1/2 cup sugar

For the frosting:

-3 egg whites

-1/2 cup sugar

The Directions:

1. Bake cupcakes as directed by the recipe.
2. Beat the egg and yolk in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water. Then beat in the juice, butter and sugar. Stir over medium heat until it reaches the consistency of pudding. Set aside and allow to cool (curd will thicken as it sits).

3. Beat the sugar and the egg whites until the sugar is completely dissolved and firm peaks form.

4. Using a paring knife, cut out a small hole at the top of your cupcake and fill with the lemon curd.

5. When you are ready to serve, frost cupcakes with the meringue and

...if you have a torch: lightly torch the top of the meringue.

...if you are torchless: turn on the broiler to medium-high heat and put the cupcakes under the broiler for a minute or two. Do not walk away from it!
6. Consume and enjoy!

May's Cupcake Of The Month: Strawberries And Cream

It's May! 'Tis the season for spring dresses, sunny days and blooming flowers. And did I mention it's also National Strawberries Month?


These are fluffy vanilla cupcakes filled with a homemade jam-like strawberry filling and frosted with airy whipped cream that has just the right amount of sweetness to compliment the already-sweet strawberries. What's not to love?

The Ingredients (makes 2 dozen):
For the cupcakes:
-1 1/2 cups butter, softened
-1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
-2 eggs
-3 cups flour
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp baking soda
-3 tsp vanilla extract
-4 tbsp milk
For the filling:

-1 cup strawberries, mashed

-1 tbsp sugar

-1/2 tsp lemon juice

For the frosting:

-1 cup heavy cream

-2 tbsp powdered sugar, or to taste

-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

The Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line your muffin pan with cupcake papers.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
3. In your mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add eggs one at a time..

4. Add the vanilla extract and then 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then 2 tbsp of milk, then continue to alternate between the dry ingredients and the milk until both are used up.

5. Once the batter is smooth, fill cupcake papers about 1/2 to 2/3 full and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, rotating the pan halfway through to ensure even baking. Allow to cool completely before cutting out the centers.

6. Combine the mashed strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then allow to simmer until the sauce starts getting syrupy, stirring occasionally. Take it off the heat and allow to cool completely before filling cupcakes. The sauce will thicken as it sits.

7. Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form, then slowly add in the powdered sugar. Mix in the vanilla extract.

8. Fill and frost cupcakes once they've completely cooled.

9. Consume and enjoy!

March's Cupcake Of The Month - Samoa Cupcakes

As you might have noticed from my last post, I sort of have a thing for Thin Mints (as well as Lemonades... and Tagalongs...), but I never really liked Samoas (now better known as Caramel deLites), with the reason being that I don't like coconut (it's because of the texture, not the flavor!). By request from a friend though, I came up with my own version of this cookie-turned-cupcake.


And I must admit, it's a pretty damn good cupcake. Even for someone who doesn't like coconut. And I'm so very glad I decided to make this because it gave me a reason to learn how to make homemade caramel!


By the way, I'm never buying caramel sauce from the store ever again. Never. Ever. Again.


I'll admit, it's a bit intimidating the first time you go over the recipe, especially after reading that the sauce can go from cooked to burnt in an instant. But don't be discouraged! Once you've got it down, you'll never go back to those preservative-filled squeeze bottles ever again! Of course, if you do end up going with a store-bought sauce for this, I obviously won't know and I definitely won't judge.


*Unlike my past posts, this one will not feature any baking-process pictures. I was pressed for time and couldn't stop or spend the time I wanted and needed to take the proper pictures.*


The Ingredients (makes 2 dozen):

For the caramel sauce (from Ina Garten's recipe; optional):

-1 1/2 cups sugar

-1/3 cup water

-1 1/4 cups heavy cream

-1 tsp vanilla extract
For the cupcakes:
-3 cups all-purpose flour
-1 1/2 tsp baking powder
-3/4 tsp salt
-1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-4 large eggs
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-1 1/4 cups milk
For the frosting:
-1 cup unsalted butter, softened
-1 cup vegetable shortening

-1 1/2 cups caramel sauce
For the topping:
-2 cups coconut shavings, toasted
-1/4 cup chocolate chips, melted for drizzling
-1/4 cup caramel sauce


The Directions:
Optional: Mix the water and sugar together in a saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Then increase the heat to medium and let it boil uncovered until it becomes a warm chestnut brown color (or until it reaches 350 degrees). Then remove from heat and slowly add the heavy cream and vanilla. Return to low heat and allow to simmer, stirring constantly, until the caramel has dissolved into the cream and the sauce is smooth. Allow to cool and thicken before adding to the buttercream (note: this can take up to 4 hours).
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line your muffin pan(s) with cupcake papers.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs one at a time, making sure to mix well after each. Then mix in the vanilla.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in increments. Scrape after each addition to make sure nothing settles at the bottom.
6. Once the batter is smooth, fill cupcake papers about halfway and bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, rotating the pan(s) halfway through to ensure even baking. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
7. Beat butter and shortening together until combined and fluffy and then stir in the caramel sauce. Make sure to really scrape the bottom of the bowl for excess caramel that might have settled there.
8. Frost your cupcakes once they've completely cooled.
9. Top with the toasted coconut shavings and then drizzle caramel and chocolate over the top.

10. Consume and enjoy!

February's Cupcake Of The Month - Chocolate And Chambord

Some exciting things have been happening for my blog these past couple of months. My last post was featured on foodgawker and tastespotting and because of that, I've gained  a handful of new followers, more exposure (the blog's even been StumbleUpon-ed... I thought that was pretty awesome), more traffic, and most recently, a sponsored giveaway by CSNstores.com.


Everyone's feedback on my blog and on my baked goods has been overwhelming and I'm so very thankful for it all. It's helping me find more inspiration to keep up baking and blogging. So thank you to all of you that have read my posts, are "following" me, and are supporting me in this, especially my testers who have willingly offered their taste buds up for my cause.


The Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
-1 cup unsalted butter, softened
-1 cup water
-3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-2 cups flour
-2 cups sugar
-1 1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup sour cream

For the ganache:

-3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

-1 cup heavy cream

-1 1/2 tbsp corn starch

-[at least] 50 mL Chambord

The Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your cupcake pan(s).
2. Bring the butter and water to a simmer and then whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

 

3. Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

There's only so much one can do to make all-white ingredients look exciting together

4. Beat eggs and sour cream together until combined.

5. Gradually add the cocoa mixture to the eggs, constantly mixing so that you don't scramble the eggs.

6. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet.

7. Fill cupcake cups (I filled them somewhere between 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up) and bake for about 12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate halfway through to ensure even baking. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

8. Over a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water) melt the chocolate chips, heavy cream and corn starch together. Once mixture is smooth, take it off the heat and stir in the liqueur until combined. Set aside and allow to cool so that it can thicken up.

You want your ganache to be completely smooth, not like the picture above

Note: I added 50 mL of the Chambord but felt that there wasn't enough of that raspberry flavor I was looking for, so I would suggest adding more a little at a time until the desired taste. Or maybe even a raspberry flavored filling would help. I plan on making a filling the next time I make these and if it works out, I will update this post with the filling's recipe.

9. Once your cupcakes are cool, frost them with a pastry bag, plastic baggie, dip the cupcakes, or do what I did and just spread the frosting on with a spoon (if you spoon and spread them, you'll probably only need a half of the ganache recipe). 
Tip: If you're frosting with a bag, you should wait until the the ganache is firm enough, or else it'll just run all over the place.
10. Consume and enjoy!

Don't worry, his ganache-stache was from before adding the liqueur.