DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS CUPCAKES
MEXICAN SPICED CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH A SPICED VANILLA BUTTERCREAM.
SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER | QUANTITY: 12 CUPCAKES
LISTS
GROCERY LIST:
3 sticks | Unsalted Butter
2 large | Eggs
½ cup | Vegetable or Canola Oil
¾ cup | Granulated Sugar
3 ½ cups | Confectioners’ Sugar
¾ cup | All-purpose Flour
⅓ cup | Cocoa Powder
Brand recommendation - Ghirardelli Chocolate Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
½ teaspoon | Kosher Salt
½ teaspoon | Baking Soda
1 teaspoon | Ground Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon | Ground Cloves
¼ teaspoon | Ground Nutmeg
¼ teaspoon | Cayenne Pepper
2 teaspoons | Vanilla Extract
5 ounces | Dark Chocolate Chips
Brand recommendation - Guittard Dark Chocolate Baking Chips
6 ounces | White Chocolate Baking Chips (optional)
Brand recommendation - Ghirardelli Classic White Chocolate Premium Baking Chips
¾ cup | Coffee (freshly brewed)
A few dashes | Food Coloring (assorted colors, optional)
KITCHENWARE:
12-cup Muffin Pan
Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer w/ Large Mixing Bowl
Medium Mixing Bowl & Heat-resistant Bowl
Measuring Spoons & Cups, Whisk, Sieve (fine mesh strainer), Rubber Spatula & Pastry Bags (optional)
Paper Muffin Cups or Parchment Paper
PREP
Helpful tips!
Let butter and eggs come to room temperature by leaving out for about 1 hour*.
When measuring flour, don’t pack the flour or you will end up adding more flour into the mixture and risk having drier cupcakes. Instead, use a large spoon to scoop flour into measuring cups and level off with the handle of the spoon.
Don’t sift kosher salt or sugar. Both are usually not fine enough to get through the sieve.
*Dependent on the temperature of your home
BAKE
CUPCAKES:
¾ cup | Coffee (freshly brewed)
⅓ cup | Cocoa Powder
5 ounces | Dark Chocolate Chips
¾ cup | All-purpose Flour
¾ cup | Granulated Sugar
½ teaspoon | Baking Soda
½ teaspoon | Ground Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon | Cayenne Pepper
½ teaspoon | Kosher Salt
2 large | Eggs (room temperature)
½ cup | Vegetable or Canola Oil
1 teaspoon | Vanilla Extract
FROSTING:
3 sticks | Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoon | Vanilla Extract
3 ½ cups | Confectioners’ Sugar
½ teaspoon | Ground Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon | Ground Cloves
¼ teaspoon | Ground Nutmeg
DECORATIONS: (OPTIONAL)
6 ounces | White Chocolate Baking Chips
A few dashes | Food Coloring (assorted colors)
Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin cups or cut out 12 large squares from parchment paper to create your own muffin cups. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350° F and place rack in the center of the oven.
Brew a cup of hot coffee. Mix hot coffee, cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips in a heat-resistant bowl. Mix until completely melted and set aside to cool.
Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and cayenne pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Add salt, mix and set aside.
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, combine eggs, oil and vanilla. With mixer on, slowly stream in the melted chocolate mixture until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients at the bottom and around the edges are incorporated.
Evenly distribute batter between 12 prepared muffin cups filling about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate pan and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to slightly cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto wire rack. Leaving hot cupcakes in the muffin pan too long will trap moisture and could result in a soggy cupcake. Let cool at room temperature or place in fridge.
Make the frosting by beating the room temperature butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and continue beating for about 1 minute. Slowly add in the confectioners’ sugar until mostly mixed. Increase speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl until smooth and creamy. Add cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and mix until blended, but don’t overwhip. Set aside.
If making decorations, place white chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water with the heat on the lowest setting. You shouldn’t need more than 2-inches of water and want to ensure the bottom of the bowl is not sitting in the water. Stir white chocolate frequently until melted. Add half of the melted white chocolate into a pastry bag and hand pipe mini skulls onto parchment paper. Divide the remaining half into thirds and mix with desired food colors to decorate the skulls. Let cool until hardened.
Frost cupcakes and garnish with Día de los Muertos decorations.
Store leftovers in airtight container at room temperature.
