CHOCOLATE EASTER EGG CUPCAKES
From Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder By Joanne Fluke
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup whole milk
1 cup (8 ounces by weight) sour cream
1 box of chocolate cake mix, with or without pudding in the mix (the kind that makes a 9-inch by 13-inch cake or a 2-layer cake—I used Duncan Hines)
5.1-ounce package of DRY instant chocolate pudding and pie filling (I used Jell-O.)
12-ounce (by weight) bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (you can also use milk chocolate chips if you prefer—I used Nestlé)
To Decorate:
9 to 12 Cadbury Mini Chocolate Easter Eggs to decorate on top of frosting.
Hannah’s 1st Note: If you’re baking these cupcakes for adults, you can use ¼ cup chocolate liqueur and ¼ cup whipping cream instead of the half-cup of whole milk.
Prepare your cupcake pans. You’ll need two 12-cup cupcake or muffin pans lined with double cupcake papers.
Crack the eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix them up on LOW speed. When they’re mixed, turn the mixer up to MEDIUM speed and mix until they are light and fluffy, and are a uniform color.
Turn the mixer down to LOW speed again and pour in the half-cup of vegetable oil. Mix it in with the eggs on LOW speed. Continue to mix for one minute or until it is thoroughly mixed in.
Add the half-cup of whole milk and mix it in on LOW speed. (This is where you substitute the quarter-cup of chocolate liqueur and the quarter-cup of whipping cream, if you’re making these for adults.)
Add the cup of sour cream and blend it in thoroughly.
Open the box of cake mix and sprinkle HALF of the dry cake mix on top of the contents in your mixing bowl.
Turn the mixer on LOW speed and mix for 2 to 3 minutes, or until everything is well combined.
Shut off the mixer and sprinkle in the 2nd HALF of the dry cake mix. Mix it in thoroughly on LOW speed.
Shut off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Open the package of instant chocolate pudding and pie filling and sprinkle in the contents. Mix it in on LOW speed.
Shut off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl again, and remove it from the mixer. Set it on the counter.
Open the bag of chocolate chips and sprinkle them into your mixing bowl. Stir them in by hand with a rubber spatula or mixing spoon.
Use a rubber spatula or a scooper to transfer the cake batter into the prepared pans. Fill the cups three-quarters (¾) full.
Smooth the tops of your cupcakes with a rubber spatula and place them in the center of your preheated oven.
Bake your Chocolate Easter Egg Cupcakes at 350 degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes.
Before you take your cupcakes out of the oven, test them for doneness by inserting a cake tester, thin wooden skewer, or long toothpick into the middle of one cupcake. If the tester comes out clean and with no cupcake batter sticking to it, your cupcakes are done. If there is still unbaked batter clinging to the tester, shut the oven door and bake your cupcakes for 5 minutes longer.
Take your cupcakes out of the oven and set the pans on cold stovetop burners or wire racks. Let them cool in the pans until they reach room temperature and then refrigerate them for 30 minutes before you frost them. (Overnight is fine, too.)
Frost your cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. (Recipe and instructions follow.)
Yield: Approximately 18 to 24 cupcakes, depending on cupcake size.
To Serve: These cupcakes can be served at room temperature or chilled. When you serve your cupcakes accompany them with tall glasses of icy-cold milk or cups of strong, hot coffee.
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
4 ounces softened cream cheese (half of an 8-ounce package)
½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, ¼ pound) salted butter, softened
½ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
3 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Rinse out the bowl of your electric mixer with hot water and dry it with a paper towel. Put it back in the mixer and attach the paddle.
Place the softened cream cheese and the softened, salted butter in the bowl of the mixer.
Beat them together on MEDIUM speed for 5 minutes.
Add the unsweetened cocoa, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and continue to beat on MEDIUM speed for 3 to 4 additional minutes.
Shut off the mixer and check the consistency of the frosting. If it’s too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar and beat for another minute. If it’s too thick, add a teaspoon or two of heavy cream or milk and beat on MEDIUM speed for another few minutes.
When your Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is of the proper spreading consistency, take the bowl out of the mixer and give it a final stir by hand.
Frost your cupcakes. Once all the cupcakes have been frosted with the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, get out a sharp knife and cut the Cadbury Mini Chocolate Easter Eggs in half, length-wise.
Place one half, rounded side up, on top of each frosted cupcake. Press the candy down slightly so it will adhere to the frosting.
(From Santa’s Workshop (Jan B))
From Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder By Joanne Fluke
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup whole milk
1 cup (8 ounces by weight) sour cream
1 box of chocolate cake mix, with or without pudding in the mix (the kind that makes a 9-inch by 13-inch cake or a 2-layer cake—I used Duncan Hines)
5.1-ounce package of DRY instant chocolate pudding and pie filling (I used Jell-O.)
12-ounce (by weight) bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (you can also use milk chocolate chips if you prefer—I used Nestlé)
To Decorate:
9 to 12 Cadbury Mini Chocolate Easter Eggs to decorate on top of frosting.
Hannah’s 1st Note: If you’re baking these cupcakes for adults, you can use ¼ cup chocolate liqueur and ¼ cup whipping cream instead of the half-cup of whole milk.
Prepare your cupcake pans. You’ll need two 12-cup cupcake or muffin pans lined with double cupcake papers.
Crack the eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix them up on LOW speed. When they’re mixed, turn the mixer up to MEDIUM speed and mix until they are light and fluffy, and are a uniform color.
Turn the mixer down to LOW speed again and pour in the half-cup of vegetable oil. Mix it in with the eggs on LOW speed. Continue to mix for one minute or until it is thoroughly mixed in.
Add the half-cup of whole milk and mix it in on LOW speed. (This is where you substitute the quarter-cup of chocolate liqueur and the quarter-cup of whipping cream, if you’re making these for adults.)
Add the cup of sour cream and blend it in thoroughly.
Open the box of cake mix and sprinkle HALF of the dry cake mix on top of the contents in your mixing bowl.
Turn the mixer on LOW speed and mix for 2 to 3 minutes, or until everything is well combined.
Shut off the mixer and sprinkle in the 2nd HALF of the dry cake mix. Mix it in thoroughly on LOW speed.
Shut off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Open the package of instant chocolate pudding and pie filling and sprinkle in the contents. Mix it in on LOW speed.
Shut off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl again, and remove it from the mixer. Set it on the counter.
Open the bag of chocolate chips and sprinkle them into your mixing bowl. Stir them in by hand with a rubber spatula or mixing spoon.
Use a rubber spatula or a scooper to transfer the cake batter into the prepared pans. Fill the cups three-quarters (¾) full.
Smooth the tops of your cupcakes with a rubber spatula and place them in the center of your preheated oven.
Bake your Chocolate Easter Egg Cupcakes at 350 degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes.
Before you take your cupcakes out of the oven, test them for doneness by inserting a cake tester, thin wooden skewer, or long toothpick into the middle of one cupcake. If the tester comes out clean and with no cupcake batter sticking to it, your cupcakes are done. If there is still unbaked batter clinging to the tester, shut the oven door and bake your cupcakes for 5 minutes longer.
Take your cupcakes out of the oven and set the pans on cold stovetop burners or wire racks. Let them cool in the pans until they reach room temperature and then refrigerate them for 30 minutes before you frost them. (Overnight is fine, too.)
Frost your cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. (Recipe and instructions follow.)
Yield: Approximately 18 to 24 cupcakes, depending on cupcake size.
To Serve: These cupcakes can be served at room temperature or chilled. When you serve your cupcakes accompany them with tall glasses of icy-cold milk or cups of strong, hot coffee.
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
4 ounces softened cream cheese (half of an 8-ounce package)
½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, ¼ pound) salted butter, softened
½ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
3 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Rinse out the bowl of your electric mixer with hot water and dry it with a paper towel. Put it back in the mixer and attach the paddle.
Place the softened cream cheese and the softened, salted butter in the bowl of the mixer.
Beat them together on MEDIUM speed for 5 minutes.
Add the unsweetened cocoa, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and continue to beat on MEDIUM speed for 3 to 4 additional minutes.
Shut off the mixer and check the consistency of the frosting. If it’s too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar and beat for another minute. If it’s too thick, add a teaspoon or two of heavy cream or milk and beat on MEDIUM speed for another few minutes.
When your Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is of the proper spreading consistency, take the bowl out of the mixer and give it a final stir by hand.
Frost your cupcakes. Once all the cupcakes have been frosted with the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, get out a sharp knife and cut the Cadbury Mini Chocolate Easter Eggs in half, length-wise.
Place one half, rounded side up, on top of each frosted cupcake. Press the candy down slightly so it will adhere to the frosting.
(From Santa’s Workshop (Jan B))
