It was nearly a year ago that I started seriously playing in the kitchen.  My daughter’s fifth birthday party was coming up and I wanted to do something special for her and our guests, but I really didn’t know where to begin.  I’m sure it started with my Googling “little girl birthday treats” or something of that nature, but I’m glad I did because it led me to the wonderful world of food bloggers.  It’s funny to me that it was just a year ago that I had no idea that the food blogging community even existed and today not a day goes by that I’m not scouring all of my favorite sites for my next kitchen adventure.

These cupcakes were the first cupcake I attempted last winter and are what lit my “baking fire” again.  And while this blog post completely makes me cringe – feel free to check it out and see how far I’ve come.  (Click here.)  I’ve learned so much about baking, technique, decorating and even photography in just a short time that I’m already eager to look back a year from now and cringe at today’s post.  This all just goes to show that practice, patience and a lot of determination in the kitchen will pay off – even for home cooks like me.

I did update the recipe slightly – I’ve found a new cake that I’m in love with, and I added chocolate “fudge” ganache to the topping.  I recently bought a new cookbook – “Baking” by Dorie Greenspan…boy am I in trouble.  I’ve already marked about 40 recipes that I want to make NOW…and this new cake recipe comes to you from her cookbook.  If you love to bake, I highly suggest you check it out.

This is a super-fun recipe for little kids, but I guarantee you that the big kids will love it too.  Give it a try, and enjoy!

Hot Fudge Sundae Cupcakes
Yield:  24 cupcakes

Cake Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (16 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (or substitute 1 cup of milk with 2 Tablespoons white vinegar)
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).  Prepare 24 cupcake tins with greaseproof, high-quality cupcake liners.  Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until soft and creamy.  Add the sugar and beat for 2 minutes, until smooth.  Add the eggs and then the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition.  Scrape the side and bottom of bowl as needed.  Beat in vanilla, then reduce mixer to low and add half of the dry ingredients, beating only until they disappear.  Add buttermilk, and beat only until well incorporated.  Add the remaining dry ingredients, again scraping the bowl as needed.  Add the melted chocolate and fold in with a rubber spatula.  Divide the batter evenly among cupcake tins.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until the tops of the cakes are dry and springy to the touch, and a cake tester comes out clean.  Cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then unmold them and cool to room temperature before frosting.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Enough to frost 24 cupcakes, about 5 cups
(Click HERE for recipe)
Prepare per recipe, but omit the strawberry puree for a vanilla buttercream.

Chocolate Fudge Ganache
6 oz high quality, finely chopped chocolate
2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
Rainbow sprinkles, for garnish
24 cherries with stems, for garnish

In a microwave safe bowl, combine whipping cream and corn syrup and heat until steaming hot but not boiling. Immediately add chocolate and let sit for 1 minute.  Whisk until smooth and well combined, and let cool to room temperature.

To prepare cupcakes:
Generously pipe frosting onto cupcakes, using a large circle tip, swirling 2-3 layers tall.  Carefully spoon cooled chocolate fudge over the frosting, and immediately cover with sprinkles and a cherry.  Put cupcakes in refrigerator or a cool place for 30-60 minutes until set.  Enjoy!

Source:  Dorie Greenspan, Baking.  La Mia Vita Dolce