Author Notes: (Written May 17, 2011)
Last week, I bought something that I never thought I would “need”—a cupcake corer. I should back this story up a bit…
It was a lovely, pre-Easter weekend and I found myself walking around downtown Los Gatos with David (the husband). Lo and behold, Williams-Sonoma had a sign outside that caused a force stronger than I, one that practically pulled me into the store (20% off open-stock All-Clad D5? Yes, please!). I’m now convinced that this [magnetic] force is the very same that allows the pans to be used on induction burners, and it only grows more powerful when there’s a sale going on. Clearly I couldn’t help myself, right?
I then, of course, proceeded to meander throughout the entire store (why waste the trip?), and that’s when I first laid eyes on this single-purpose device, the cupcake corer. I was intrigued. After picking it up off the shelf and playing with it for a few seconds in order to figure out how it worked, I took a peek at the price and thought, only 5 bucks! Hmmm. This quickly turned into, 5 bucks for this simple device? No, not worth it, on to the All-Clad!
It was hopeless, though, the seed was planted. Over the next few weeks, I found myself coming back to the thought of “what could I possibly fill a cupcake with?” over and over again.
Dulce de leche? Eh, it’s fun to make but not my favorite thing to eat (and we all know it’s all about me—kidding!).
Extra frosting? Too much of the same flavor and texture. Though, I do love frosting.
It wasn’t until I was experimenting with the success-or-failure of baking chocolate cupcakes without paper liners that I knew exactly what I’d use the corer for: a faux-Hostess cupcake! I thought a whoopie pie type of marshmallow-y vanilla filling, whose sweetness would be balanced out with a bittersweet chocolate ganache would fit the bill—and here we have it!
I ended up purchasing my corer through Sur La Table (the Williams-Sonoma I went to weeks later didn’t have any in stock, and I was in a rush to get one before the bake sale), and I love it! It’s not just a glorified round cookie cutter. My favorite part is how the wide, plastic flower part allows you make holes with a consistent depth. Plus, it comes apart so you can clean both halves really well. It’s really the small things in life that excite me.
(For sources and more, visit: http://www.asageamalgam.com/2011/05/vanilla-creme-filled-chocolate-cupcakes.html) —a sage amalgam
Makes: 2 dozen
Ingredients
chocolate cupcakes
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192
grams (1 cup) Golden Brown Sugar, packed
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48
grams (1/4 cup) Granulated White Sugar
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1
teaspoon Kosher Salt
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73
grams (1/2 cup plus 5 teaspoons) Millet Flour
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73
grams (1/2 cup plus 5 teaspoons) Garbanzo Fava Flour
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96
grams (1/2 cup) Potato Starch
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38
grams (1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons) Arrowroot Starch
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3/4
teaspoon Xanthan Gum
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2
teaspoons Baking Soda
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2
teaspoons Instant Espresso Powder
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60
grams (3/4 cup) Unsweetened Dutch-process Cocoa Powder
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4
ounces (1/2 cup or 113 grams) Canola Oil
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16
ounces (2 cups or 454 grams) Buttermilk
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2
large Eggs, bring to room temperature
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2
teaspoons (10 grams) Vanilla Extract
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Unsalted Butter
vanilla-crème filled chocolate cupcakes with bittersweet chocolate ganache
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1
recipe Chocolate Cupcakes (above)
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114
grams (8 tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, softened
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7.5
ounces jar (213 grams) Marshmallow Fluff
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1 1/2
teaspoons (7 grams) Vanilla Extract
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1 1/2
cups (180 grams) Powdered Sugar, sift after measuring
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6
ounces (3/4 cup or 170 grams) Heavy Cream
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6
ounces Bittersweet Chocolate (not unsweetened)²
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2
ounces White Chocolate
Directions
chocolate cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 12-cup muffin pans (preferably not nonstick) with butter; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, white sugar and salt. Using a fine mesh sieve, sift millet flour through cocoa powder into the bowl containing the sugar mixture. Whisk together dry ingredients.
- In a separate, small mixing bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (canola oil through vanilla extract). Pour buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients; whisk just until combined and lump-free.
- Fill muffin cups with a level 1/4 cup of batter. Immediately transfer to preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for about 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from the tins (you may need to loosen cupcakes using a spatula or thin knife) and cool completely on a cooling rack.
vanilla-crème filled chocolate cupcakes with bittersweet chocolate ganache
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CORE CUPCAKES:
Using a cupcake corer, remove centers from the cupcakes, set aside for another use (a.k.a. samples for the baker!). Place cored cupcakes on a large platter or several plates, allow for about 1/2 inch of space between them.
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MAKE FILLING:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip butter on medium speed until light and fluffy—about 1 minute. Add Fluff to butter and beat for 1 minute or until well combined. Add vanilla extract. With mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar; once the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase speed to medium, and beat for 1 additional minute.
- Transfer filling to a pastry bag fitted with a round pastry tip (Wilton #12). Pipe filling into cupcake cores until level with the top of the cake. Transfer filled cupcakes to the fridge. Once filling is firmed up a bit (about 30 minutes – 1 hour), gently pat down any peaks in the filling with your finger (it shouldn’t stick to you—if it does, they need to be chilled longer). They are now ready for the ganache.
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MAKE GANACHE:
In a small saucepan, warm cream over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, just until you see a bubble come to the surface. While cream is heating up, place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Pour hot cream over chocolate and let it sit for a minute; gently stir until all of the chocolate is melted. Place bowl with ganache over a small pan of barely simmering water to keep it warm while you work (caution: do not let the bowl with the chocolate touch the water, if the ganache gets too hot it will separate, so keep a close eye on it).
- Working quickly, spoon about 2 teaspoons of ganache over each cupcake, and spread to the edges using a small spatula (straight or offset, whichever you prefer).
- Allow ganache-topped cupcakes to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour (if you touch the ganache, it shouldn’t transfer to your finger). Chill completely in the fridge.
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PIPE WHITE CHOCOLATE SQUIGGLES:
Heat white chocolate over a double boiler until about 75% of the chocolate is melted. Remove bowl from the heat and stir until smooth. Transfer chocolate to a pastry bag fitted with a small, round tip (Wilton #2). Pipe seven squiggles across the tops of the chilled, ganache-covered cupcakes. Chocolate should harden instantly. -
STORE AND SERVE:
Once ganache and white chocolate are hardened, cover cupcakes and store in the fridge. Remove cupcakes 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.
