Chocolate Cream-Filled Cupcakes

I had a craving for chocolate one night that could have been easily satisfied by one small candy bar. A Milky Way Midnight would have done the trick, or even a Snickers Dark. Dark chocolate wins, if you haven’t noticed yet. But instead, I whipped out everything in the kitchen just to make an entire batch of chocolate cupcakes. I justified it, knowing that there was a friend’s birthday coming up–I’ll just eat one, then the rest goes to the party. Funny though, because I knew beforehand too that the birthday girl would have liked a fruity flavor better. But a chocolate craving listens to no one.

The recipe I used for chocolate cake is my tried and true go-to recipe, Hershey’s Black Magic Cake. It’s dark, fluffy, moist, and easy to make. Then I decided to give them cream-filled centers, which proved to be my 10pm challenge, because usually I use the Cone Method in filling cupcakes, but not this time. Since I was getting sleepy and I needed to get one of these cupcakes into my system fast, I thought it’d be quicker if I just piped it in with a tip like I’ve seen a lot of people do. Well the cream didn’t really fluff up like it was suppose to, I wanted each one to have a significant filling inside so I kept squeezing, and once I removed the piping tip, it just started running and oozing all over the top. Paper towels to the rescue, and next time I will not depart from my cone-method ways.

The frosting was a chocolate cream cheese frosting, which was my normal cream cheese frosting with 1/2 cup cocoa powder added in.

And once you bite in, surprise! Gooey marshmallow filling awaits you. Right before midnight, my chocolate craving was finally fulfilled, and the dishes would have to wait until tomorrow. Make sure there’s a huge glass of milk nearby to wash these down with.

Hershey’s Black Magic Cake

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
1 cup strong black coffee OR 2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee plus 1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes (Batter will be thin). Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost as desired. Yields 10 to 12 servings.

* To sour milk: Use 1 tablespoon white vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup.

Cream Filling (From RecipeZaar)

2 tsp very hot water
1/4 tsp salt
1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow cream
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Dissolve the salt in the hot water and allow to cool. Combine marshmallow cream, shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a bowl and whip until light and fluffy. Add cooled salt water and mix well.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1 80z. pkg of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 cups sifted powdered sugar

Mix cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add in 1/2 cup cocoa powder, and then add in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached, and desired sweetness as well. Fill piping bag fitted with a 1M tip, and pipe on!

- Ai

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