If you like Black Magic Cake, you can make Black Magic Cupcakes! This is a recipe I use when I want one that's easy (which is most days) and doesn't call for a lot of expensive ingredients. I usually frost these with Favorite Chocolate Frosting, but I've also used this Chocolate Mousse as a topping. It's a recipe I originally got from an interesting source -- Hungry Jack.
I just wish I had some Halloween themed cupcake papers to match the sprinkles.
The ones I'm serving tonight aren't very Halloweenish, but they'll do.
This is a large batch recipe that halves well, so if you don't need 32 to 36 cupcakes you can make 16 to 18. I usually halve it, but use the full recipe for the chocolate mousse. Then again, I put a lot of mousse on top! I'm keeping the yield for the mousse the same since this is how much I usually make, and I've not yet tried to double. Plus if you make all of the cupcakes, you may want to vary the frostings and use mousse for some and chocolate, vanilla or peanut butter for the others.
Recipe
Black Magic Cupcakes with Chocolate Mousse Topping
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, stir well and aerate of weigh (221 grams)
- ¾ cup extra dark unsweetened baking cocoa or Dutch processed (60 to 70 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar (390 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot brewed coffee
Chocolate Mousse Frosting (make twice)
- 5 ounces milk chocolate, chopped (140 grams)
- 3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (can use chips in a pinch) (84 grams)
- 1 tablespoon pancake syrup or any maple syrup
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 32 cupcake cups with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and add eggs, milk, oil, vanilla and coffee, then stir until mixed. With an electric mixer, beat on medium until smooth.
- Fill the cupcake cups about ⅔ full.
- Bake cupcakes for about 25 to 28 minutes or until set.
Chocolate Mousse Frosting
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the two chocolates together using 50% power and stirring every 30 seconds. Add the room temperature pancake syrup and ½ cup of the cream and transfer to a mixing bowl. Let cool to room temperature (about 5 minutes), then gradually add remaining 1 ½ cups of cream and beat with an electric mixer until thick. Beat in vanilla.
- Transfer the mousse into a large, heavy duty freezer bag and chill for 10 minutes.
- Snip the bottom corner of the bag about ½ inch from the point and squeeze the mousse out onto the top of each cupcake. Keep cupcakes chilled until serving time.
Anna says
Martha, yes. It gets pretty firm. After a quick 10 minute chill time, it was firm enough to pipe out of the bag. However, as the cupcakes chill the mousse becomes even firmer.
I tried doing a mint and peppermint version using white melting chips in place of the chocolate and peppermint extract, but the mousse took a lot longer to firm up before it was thick enough to pipe. I'm still working on that version. It also might be fun to try a version with melted butterscotch chips.
Martha in KS says
I have cute Halloween cupcake paper that I got at ALDI & I probably won't use them this year. Wish you were my neighbor - I'd share. The mousse icing looks luscious. Does it firm up? I worry about transporting cupcakes if the icing is not firm. Thanks for the recipe.