What do you do when you have a large class of drawing students to bake for to celebrate your last class together but only have so much energy? You turn to Martha Stewart’s Cupcake cookbook and take her recipe for Devil’s Food Cupcakes, divide the recipe in half and convert it to mini cupcakes. That way you have lots for everyone and you are not being too bad of an influence.
Despite these cupcakes being quite awesome, I highly recommend you serve them with my mocha icing recipe which is also included in this post. These cupcakes are good but with that mocha icing? Mind-blowingly fabulous! Click here for the recipe.
The Weirdness
FYI, this recipe is WEIRD! Everything is either room temperature or warm. Never made cupcakes like them before.
Melt 3/4 cup butter with 1 cup 2 tbsp of sugar. Remove from heat, pour into mixing bowl and beat at medium-low speed until cooled. This takes just a few minutes.
The Rest of the Ingredients
For the cupcakes you will also need 6 tbsp of cocoa powder, 6 tbsp hot water, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp sea salt, 2 room temperature large eggs, 3/4 tbsp of vanilla and 1/2 cup room temperature sour cream.
The Baking
Whisk together cocoa powder and hot water until smooth. I know, weird right?!
In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining dry ingredients.
Once butter and sugar mixture has cooled beat in eggs, one at a time until well incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla and then cocoa mixture.
Reduce speed to low and add flour, then sour cream, then flour, then last of sour cream and then the last of the flour.
Beat until just combined.
Line a mini muffin tin with paper liners, fill them 3/4 with batter and put into a pre-heated 325F oven for 15-18 minutes until baked through.
There was also enough leftover for us to have 6 regular cupcakes! I baked those at 350F for 20 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack completely.
Decorating!
Sift together 3/4 cup icing sugar and 2 tsp cocoa powder.
Beat in 2 tbsp + 2 tsp of soft butter, 1 tsp espresso and 1 tsp vanilla. You may have to add a tiny bit of water to get the consistency you need for decorating the cupcakes.
I FINALLY found my cake decorating piping bags!!! I put one with a 74 star tip into a tall bag and filled with the mocha frosting.
Next time I might use a larger star tip but decorate as you see fit!
It was so much fun to go to class and share these delicious decadent bites with everyone on our last day together.
I even did a glossy ganache topping on some of them but THAT recipe will be in my future foodie memoire to come. I just finished chapter 2.
These little beauties were beloved by everyone and one student told me I had found my calling. 🙂 I may be a fledgling so-called “artist” but when it comes to food? I like to think of myself as Martha’s apprentice.
Those look wonderful! I especially love the glossy ganache.
Thank you Nar!!! 🙂
Super cute, Suzie.
Thanks Ivy!!!