Fudgy Chocolate Cupcakes with Chilli Chocolate Ganache
These mind-blowing chocolate cupcakes are light, fudgy and moist cupcakes and are topped with a spicy chilli chocolate ganache . They are made using the one-bowl method with no mixer required making these the easiest chocolate cupcake recipe ever!
Equipment
- 01 Weighing Scale
- 01 Chopping board and knife
- 02 12-cup muffin tins
- 15 Standard cupcake liners
- 01 Saucepan
- 01 Strainer
- 01 Sifter
- Bowls
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Plastic wrap
- Spoons
Ingredients
Fudgy Chocolate Cupcakes
- 130 grams All-Purpose Flour
- 20 grams Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 06 grams Baking Powder
- 03 grams Baking Soda
- 03 grams Salt
- 100 ml Whole Eggs
- 50 ml Whole Milk
- 03 grams Instant Coffee Powder
- 50 grams Yoghurt
- 100 grams Unsalted Butter chopped
- 150 grams 54% Chocolate or more* chopped
- 30 grams Flavourless Oil
- 05 ml Pure Vanilla Extract
- 75 grams Castor Sugar
- 75 grams Brown Sugar
- Chilli flakes, as required to garnish
Chilli Chocolate Ganache
- 190 ml Heavy Cream (30% or more fat content)*
- 15 nos Fresh or Dried Red Chillies* or to taste, chopped
- 245 grams 54% Dark Chocolate chopped
- 100 grams Unsalted butter, softened* chopped
Instructions
Preparation
- For the fudgy chocolate cupcakes -
- Weigh the chopped butter and chopped chocolate in a bowl. Melt over a double boiler or microwave. Set aside to cool.
- Weigh the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir well to combine and then sift.
- Weigh the eggs and vanilla. Whisk with a fork till just combined.
- Weigh the milk and coffee powder. Stir and then set aside for the coffee to dissolve completely.
- Weigh the yoghurt and oil in a small bowl.
- Weigh the brown sugar and castor sugar in another bowl.
- For the chilli dark chocolate ganache -
- Weigh the heavy cream in a saucepan.
- Chop fresh or dried red chillies and transfer them into the saucepan.
- Let the flavours of the chilli infuse into the cream for 20 minutes or till the cupcakes are in the oven.
- Weigh the chocolate in a bowl and set it aside.
- Let the butter come to the right texture and temperature while you prepare the chocolate cupcakes. Chop into even cubes once its softened and set aside.
Method
- For the fudgy chocolate cupcakes -
- Preheat the oven to 160°C and line 2 12-cup muffin trays with cupcake liners.
- Whisk the melted chocolate & butter mixture till combined.
- Add in the sugars into the melted butter and chocolate mixture till combined well.
- Whisk in the eggs and vanilla till just combined. The mixture will be thick.
- Once the eggs are completely incorporated, whisk in the milk, coffee, yoghurt and oil mixture till just combined.
- Using a spatula, gently fold in the dry ingredients.
- For even cupcakes -
- Put the bowl with the cupcake batter onto a weighing scale.
- Bring the weighing scale to zero.
- Scoop 52g of batter(a little over halfway full) into each cup scraping the spoons well before scooping more cupcake batter for the next cupcake. Don't overfill.
- Bake the cupcakes for about 22-25 minutes or till the centre of the cupcake springs back when touched.
- Allow them to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes.
- After that transfer them to a cooling rack or tray to cool completely before frosting.
- For the chilli dark chocolate ganache -
- After the heavy cream and chilli have infused for about 20 minutes or so, gently heat the cream stirring continuously, on low heat till just boiled or till the cream starts bubbling gently.
- Using a strainer, strain the of cream into a bowl placed on a weighing scale. You will need 145ml of the cream (120ml for the small-batch recipe).
- Then quickly transfer the cream onto the chocolate and let it rest covered till the chocolate dissolves about 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, gently whisk the chocolate and cream till combined well.
- If the chocolate doesn't melt completely, you can place the chocolate ganache on a double boiler and heat the ganache on a low flame.
- Add in the soft yet firm butter till completely melted or emulsified.
- Cover the ganache with plastic wrap touching the ganache to avoid any skin from forming.
- Chill in the refrigerator till firm, about 30 minutes.
Decorating the cupcakes
- For the best results, I recommend chilling the cupcakes & ganache for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight. If you chill the ganache overnight, make sure to let the ganache soften before using.
- After 30 minutes or till the ganache is firm (pipeable consistency), stir the ganache well and fill the ganache into a piping bag fitted with a piping tip of your choice.
- Pipe each cupcake with ganache generously.
- Sprinkle chilli flakes on each cupcake to decorate.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Heavy cream - Use heavy cream with a fat content of 30% or more. The recipe calls for 190 grams of heavy cream but uses only 145 grams as the heavy cream reduces during infusion and straining. 120ml for the small batch recipe.
- Unsalted Butter - I recommend bringing your butter to the right texture & temperature by leaving it in its original packaging. You can remove its packaging after the time (mentioned below) has passed:
- Hot kitchen - keep the butter on your kitchen counter away from direct sunlight for about 15 minutes. then check the texture of the butter. I always weigh my recipe when the butter is still reaching its ideal texture to avoid the butter from becoming too soft.
- Cool kitchen - bringing butter to the ideal texture might take longer for you. I recommend living it out at room temperature for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes you can check the texture. If it's not there yet, wait for 15 minutes during which you can weigh out the ingredients for the recipe. The time can differ according to how cold it is. The butter has reached its right texture when you poke the butter but it will resist your finger, and you will have to put a bit of pressure to make a dent. The butter will also be a little cool to the touch. This is when your butter is ready to be used for baking.
- Dark Chocolate - I recommend using pure dark chocolate that is anything between 45% - 55% for the best flavour. I used Callebaut's 54% dark chocolate callets for this recipe.
- Red Chillies - I recommend using any red chilli, fresh or dried, that is spicy. Spicier the better as it will give a nice flavour to the ganache.
- Storage Instructions
- Frosted fudgy chocolate cupcakes with chilli chocolate ganache can be stored in the refrigerator especially if the weather is warm for a week. Thaw at room temperature before consuming.
- Store the ganache in an air-tight container with plastic wrap touching the ganache to avoid a skin from forming for a week.
- Prepared cupcakes can be kept at room temperature away from direct heat for about 2 hours. I recommend refrigerating after 2 hours to preserve the freshness.
- Make Ahead Instructions
- The cupcakes and ganache can be prepared a day in advance. Store them under refrigeration overnight and thaw the cupcakes and puree before using.
- Freezing Instructions
- Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then at room temperature till soft.
- I do not recommend freezing the chocolate ganache.
- Ingredient Substitution & Weighing Guide - Read it here
- Small-batch recipe (05 cupcakes) -
Fudgy Chocolate Cupcakes Quantity All-Purpose Flour 43 Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 7 Baking Powder 2 Baking Soda 1 Salt 1 Whole Eggs 33 Milk 17 Instant Coffee Powder 1 Yoghurt 17 Unsalted Butter, Melted 33 54% Chocolate, Chopped* 50 Flavourless Oil 10 Pure Vanilla Extract 1 Castor Sugar 25 Brown Sugar 25 Chilli Chocolate Ganache Quantity Heavy Cream, 35% fat content 165 Fresh or Dried Red Chillies, chopped* 15 54% Dark Chocolate, chopped 200 Unsalted butter, softened 80