Hi-Hat Cupcakes

/ 38 Comments
I don’t know if I even have words for this one.  I think this is hands-down my favorite cupcake I’ve ever made.  It’s beyond amazing.  For me, it’s the perfect combination of moist chocolate cake and fluffy, gooey marshmallow frosting.  They are definitely best served cold, and I’m finding that they are practically irresistible when they come right out of the freezer.  My willpower around desserts is usually very, very high – especially considering the number of deserts that come out of my kitchen.  But these?  They don’t stand a chance.  In fact, I’m considering going to bed early tonight so I won’t be alone with them. 

But can you blame me?  I mean, LOOK AT THEM.  The marshmallow frosting stays soft and creamy and they chocolate topping hardens and gives it a little bit of a shell, not unlike a dipped ice cream cone.  I personally don’t find them overwhelmingly rich, either.  They’re definitely a sweet-treat, but the fluffy frosting is much lighter than buttercream. 

As far as the difficultly level goes?  I’m not going to lie, they aren’t the easiest thing I’ve ever whipped up.  But really, if you are patient and follow directions they aren’t too bad.  The basic components are pretty simple:  a chocolate cupcake, chocolate dipping ganache, and a variation of a 7-minute frosting.  And again, it’s not that the steps are difficult, but they do require some serious patience. 
The cupcakes need to be completely cool before you frost them.  And make sure you have plenty of room in your freezer, because they will need a good two-hours to harden and prepare for dipping.  I would recommend using a piping bag with a large, round pastry tip so you can get the pretty swirls.  And as far as dipping goes, you will need a wide-mouthed, narrow container so the chocolate is deep enough to submerge the whole mound of frosting in chocolate.  I used a tall plastic drinking cup and it worked perfectly. 

The frosting is very similar to a 7-minute frosting, although it took about 20 minutes to complete.  If you follow the directions exactly, you should have no trouble.  If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section below and I’ll help you through it!  I never did get mine up to the 160 degree mark and it still turned out fine.  Also, keep in mind that these are intended to be served cold, but we’ve had them both ways and they’re fine at room temperature, too – just a little messier. 

Please do yourself a favor and make these soon.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!


Hi-Hat Cupcakes

Yield:  12 cupcakes
Cupcakes:
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
Frosting:
1/4 cup water
1 and 3/4 cups sugar
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Dipping Chocolate:
2 cups chopped (about 12 ounces) semisweet chocolate *I would increase this by 50% for easier dipping, but you will have leftover chocolate
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
 
 
Prepare the cupcakes:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center.  Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl, and set it over a medium saucepan of barely simmering water; stir chocolate until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from heat, and set aside to cool slightly. (I melted my chocolate in the microwave for about 45 seconds instead.)
 
 
Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed, scraping sides of bowl as needed, until light and fluffy. On low speed, mix in melted
chocolate. Increase speed to medium, and add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla, and beat until mixture is creamy and color has lightened slightly, about 1 minute. Mix in sour cream. On low speed, add half of reserved flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Mix in 1/2 cup water. Add remaining flour mixture, and mix until just incorporated.
 
 
Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Fill each liner with enough batter to come 1/8 inch from top, about 1/3 cup. (I filled mine slightly less than that, about 2/3 full.) Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until tops are firm and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool in pan for 10 minutes.
 
 
Use a small knife to loosen any tops stuck to the pan. Carefully invert cupcakes onto the wire rack. Turn cupcakes right side up, and let cool completely.
 
 
Prepare the frosting: In a large heatproof bowl, combine 1/4 cup water and egg whites and beat until foamy.  Add sugar and cream of tartar. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on high speed until foamy again, about 1 minute. Set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Beat on high speed until frosting forms stiff peaks, about 12 minutes; frosting should register 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. (Mine never reached 160 degrees.  Just beat until the sugar is no longer gritty and the mixture feels warm to the touch.) Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and almond extracts, and beat for 2 minutes more or until frosting thickens. (A tip from another site recommended putting frosting into a stand mixer at this point and whisking until the proper consistency is reached.  I found this to be helpful and a great rest for my arm.  It took about 7 minutes to reach the stiff peaks consistency I was going for.)
 
 
Transfer frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain pastry tip. Leaving a 1/8-inch border on each cupcake, pipe a spiral of frosting into a 2-inch-high cone shape, using about 1/2 cup of frosting per cupcake. Transfer cupcakes to a baking sheet, and freeze for approximately 2 hours before preparing the chocolate coating.
 
 
Prepare the chocolate coating: Combine chocolate and oil in a medium heat-proof bowl set over a medium saucepan of barely simmering water (or microwave in increments of 30 seconds); stir/whisk until melted and smooth. Transfer to a deep container (as tall as your cupcakes/frosting at least), and let cool about 15 minutes.
 
 
Holding each cupcake by its bottom, dip cupcake in the chocolate to coat frosting, allowing excess to drip off. Transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Spoon more coating around edge of cupcake and any exposed frosting; none of the frosting should show.
 
 
Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let coating set. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours more. Serve cold. Cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
 
 
Enjoy!

You May Also Like

Peach Pie with Buttermilk Crust

August 29, 2013

Blueberry Muffins with Maple Butter

June 20, 2011

Fried Pickles with Spicy Ranch

April 16, 2013

38 Comments

Leave a Reply to lemonsugar Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *