Death by Chocolate Cupcake

I've never really been a fan of cupcakes but this recipe does it form me! Topped with spoonfuls of rich chocolate ganache and garnished with dark chocolate shavings and sea salt, this cupcake is a crowd favorite.

Ingredients:

Cupcake batter:

• 1 cup flour

• 3/4 cup white sugar

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1 egg

• 1/3 cup hot water

Chocolate ganache:

• 1 cup heavy cream (use 3/4 cup of cream if you prefer a thicker ganache)

• 1 cup dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate (I used a mix of both dark and milk chocolate)

Directions:

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat your oven to 170°C.

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cocoa powder together.(dry ingredients)

3. In a separate bowl, mix the egg, vanilla, vegetable oil and milk until fully combined. (all the wet ingredients except water)

4. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until no streaks of flour remain and all the ingredients are fully incorporated.

5. Gradually add in your hot water while mixing the batter.

6. Prepare your cupcake tins and place them in your cupcake baking tray.

7. Using a large spoon, (an ice cream scoop can help make this process easier) scoop your batter into the cupcake tins until the tin is half way full (make sure not to overfill your tins as they might overflow while baking).

8. After scooping your batter into your desired tins, bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes at 170°C.

9. To check if your cupcakes are cooked through, insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake and see if any batter crumbs stick onto it. The toothpick should come out clean if the cupcake is fully baked.

10. Allow the cupcakes to cool down to room temperature after baking then place them in the fridge for at least one hour before frosting with ganache.

For the ganache:

1. Place the heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl and warm it in the microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds stirring every 30 seconds.

2. Carefully remove the bowl and add the chocolate. (ensure that the chocolate is fully submerged in the warm heavy cream)

3. Cover the bowl with a plate and leave for 3 minutes.

4. Remove the plate and mix the cream and chocolate to form a ganache.

5. Place the ganache in the fridge for 2 hours. (refrigerate for more or less time according to how thick you want the ganache to be)

6. Frost the cupcakes with ganache and garnish with some dark chocolate shavings and sea salt. (optional)

7. Bon Appétit!