These triple chocolate cupcakes are a chocoholic’s dream!
Chocoholics, unite! If you are a fan of chocolate, then this cupcake is for you. These triple chocolate cupcakes are a chocolate lover’s dream. It starts off with a wonderful devil’s chocolate base and is filled with a luscious chocolate ganache. It is finally topped off with a chocolate sour cream frosting. The overall cupcake is not too sweet since the ingredients call for dark or bittersweet chocolate.
The original recipe below yields close to 32 cupcakes, so if you aren’t looking to bring these to a bake sale or a large function, I’d recommend halving the recipe. I halved every component and got 17 cupcakes with no leftover ganache or frosting. Ok, ok, I gave Addison about 3 spoonfuls of frosting, so maybe there was a little bit left over…
I gave these to some friends, and the cupcakes received rave reviews. My husband even gave them an A+, which isn’t something he does very often.
Enjoy these triple chocolate cupcakes!
Triple chocolate cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- ¾ cup hot water
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 and ¼ teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 and ½ cups unsalted butter
- 2 and ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream at room temperature
Chocolate ganache
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
- 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
Chocolate frosting
- 14 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
- 9 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 9 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar sifted
- 6 Tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sour cream
Instructions
Make the cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line your cupcake pans with cupcake liners. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth and set aside. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and the sugar. Stir occasionally to combine until the butter is melted. Turn off the heat, remove the butter mixture from the stove and transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter and sugar mixture on medium-low speed for about 4-5 minutes until the mixture is cooled. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add in the vanilla and cocoa mixture and mix until well incorporated. Turn the mixer to low and alternately add the dry ingredients and sour cream in two batches, starting with the dry ingredients. Beat just until combined.
- Distribute the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners and fill them about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 9-10 minutes and rotate the pans. Then bake for another 9-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the ganache
- Put the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Once the cream boils, immediately remove it from the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate. Let it stand for about 1 minute. With a whisk or spatula, gently stir the chocolate and cream together. After the ganache becomes smooth and silky looking, whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time until fully incorporated. Transfer the bowl to the freezer or refrigerator to chill. Whisk the mixture every 5-10 minutes in order to help it cool evenly. Once the mixture is slightly thickened and no longer runny, you can use the ganache to fill the cupcakes.
Assemble the cupcakes
- Using a small paring knife, cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake. You can either remove these extra cake bits completely (and save them for a snack) or throw them out. Alternately, you can cut off the pointed end of the cone and keep the "caps" to cover the ganache filling. Using a spoon, drop the ganache into the center of each cupcake and cover the hole with the cap.
Make the frosting
- Melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water (I heated mine up in the microwave in 30 second increments). Let it cool until the chocolate is barely warm to the touch. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Add in the melted but cooled chocolate and the sour cream. Keep beating until the mixture is smooth and free from lumps.
Wow! These look amazing! I am a chocoholic and these are right up my alley 🙂
These sound and look amazing. Been looking for the perfect chocolate cupcake recipe! Great photo as well 🙂
These sound delicious! I'm not as much of a chocoholic as my husband, but he would DIE over these!
chocolate on top of chocolate on top of chocolate…. wow. Really, really, WOW. These look So decadent – the richest looking cupcake I've ever seen or heard of. These rock the socks off my caramel cupcakes from today! a chocoholics dream come true.
All of your cupcakes are so delightful, Eva. I should get started making them now for Dad Marc's big birthday in May! Great party food!
These sound perfect for those chocoholic days!!! Such a gorgeous photo, too!
OMG – these look amazing! What I would do for one right now…
OMG – these look so amazing! They'd be perfect for the major chocolate craving I'm having right now.
I HAVE TRIED A MILLION HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE FROSTINGS AND HATED EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM TILL NOW!!! THIS CHOCOLATE FROSTING IS SO FREAKING GOOD!!! THIS WILL BE MY GO TO CHOCOLATE FROSTING!!
Hi, is the frosting mentioned in the recipe used for making those swirls. Look yummy. I am looking for a nice choc frosting recipe
Yes – the ingredients and directions are above.