Devil's Food Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Vanilla Buttercream Icing

Alright, I know I've been horrible and haven't posted anything since my first post... But honestly that's because there was nothing to post about! I haven't done a dang thing lately besides work, relax and eat lots of yummy food on Thanksgiving! Today I finally made myself get back in gear and DO something! I've recently started attending online culinary school (which I am SO excited about!) and I just did my first assignment today. The assignment was to make buttercream icing and chocolate ganache, so I figured why not put those on cupcakes?! So, without further ado, here is the recipe for my Devil's Food Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Vanilla Buttercream Icing. 

For the cupcakes I just used boxed Devil's Food cake mix (I know, shame on me. But I was too lazy to make it from scratch). I whisked the dry mix before adding the other ingredients to get all the clumps out. Whisking the mix made such a huge difference in the final product! The cupcakes came out so light, airy, fluffy and delicious!

While the cupcakes were in the oven I started on the buttercream icing.

For this recipe you need powdered sugar (sifted), butter (at room temperature), vanilla extract and heavy cream. The dish in the background is just a cleaning solution that I had to have in the pictures for school, just ignore that. 

To start off with, put the room temperature butter in the bowl you'll be mixing everything in. Then stir in the sifted powdered sugar little by little, making sure to scrape the sides and mix the ingredients well. The recipe that I got from my school assignment only called for 12 oz of powdered sugar, but as you'll see in the next photo, the icing came out pretty thin. So I added more powdered sugar to thicken it.

Once you've used all the powdered sugar you can add the vanilla extract and heavy cream. (See what I mean about it being thin?) I added the extra powdered sugar after I mixed in the vanilla and heavy cream. 

This was the final product after I added the extra powdered sugar. It came out VERY thick, but that's how I like my frosting. Plus, it was going on top of ganache so I wanted to make sure it would hold up well. Once I was done with the icing I set it aside and started on the chocolate ganache.

For the ganache you'll need dark chocolate chips (at least 54%), heavy cream and butter. 

First you need to bring the heavy cream to a boil.

Once the heavy cream comes to a boil, pour it over the chocolate chips and stir until well blended and smooth. 

Then, add the butter and stir until it's all melted in and mixture is smooth. That's it! Now just let it cool (you can put it in the fridge for a few minutes if you want it to cool faster). 

Once the ganache is cooled down enough, give it a quick stir then start dipping your cooled cupcakes. Just dip the tops of the cupcakes right into the bowl of ganache, give it a little swirl and voila! Let the ganache sit on the cupcakes for a few minutes so it can firm up a little bit. Then add your buttercream icing!

I used a piping bag with a decorating tip to make them look nice, but you can always just spread the icing on with a spoon or knife if you're not feeling that ambitious. 

So there you have it! Devil's Food Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Vanilla Buttercream Icing. Let me tell you, these little babies are DIVINE (if I do say so myself). The best part is, you can make the icing into any flavor you want by substituting the vanilla extract with a different flavor extract (like peppermint for example. Perfect for the holidays!). If any of you decide to try this recipe please let me know how it turns out for you! Happy Baking! XOXO, Jessica.

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Vanilla Buttercream Icing Recipe:

For the Cake:

• 1 box Devil's food cake mix
• ingredients on back of box

For the Vanilla Buttercream:

• 32 oz powdered sugar, sifted*
• 8 oz (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 oz heavy cream

* Using this much sugar makes a VERY thick frosting. If you don't want it to be so thick, just add sugar little by little until you are happy with the consistency. 

For the Ganache:

• 3.5 oz heavy cream
• 5.5 oz dark chocolate (at least 54%) chips
• 1 tbsp butter

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to the specified temperature on the cake mix box. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Follow the instructions for the cake mix (make sure to whisk the dry mix before you add the other ingredients. This aerates the mix and gets rid of the clumps.) Pour the mix into the muffin tin and bake for the amount of time specified on the box.

While the cupcakes are in the oven start on the buttercream icing. Put the room temperature butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the powdered sugar little by little, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything gets incorporated. Once all the powdered sugar has been used (or you've reached your desired consistency) you can add the vanilla extract and heavy cream. Stir until all ingredients are well blended. Set the icing aside and start on your ganache.

In a small sauce pan, bring your heavy cream to a boil on the stove. Once the cream comes to a boil, pour it over the chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate chips are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Then add the butter and stir until well blended. Let cool.

Once your cupcakes and ganache are completely cooled, dip and swirl the tops of the cupcakes in the ganache. Let them sit for a few minutes to give the ganache a chance to firm up. Then pipe your buttercream icing onto the cupcakes. Voila! You now have beautifully delicious cupcakes that are sure to please!