Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes

I love the name of these cupcakes because they really relate to what happens when they're eaten. When someone takes a bite out of these, they really are surprised! Want to know the secret? There's a melted marshmallow right in the middle of these cupcakes. This great idea is the sixth recipe in 125 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson: Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes.

I mixed together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and the salt.

In another bowl, I combined the sugar with the oil.

Egg whites were added to the batter.

Vanilla and the melted chocolate were also added to the batter.

I added the flour and buttermilk simultaneously to the batter.

Chocolate cream liqueur was folded in at the end.

12 cupcakes are now ready for the oven...

...and here they are fresh out of the oven.

While still being warm, the tops of each were cut out and filled with large marshmallows.

They're cooling off as the marshmallow is melting.

These were frosted with Chocolate Fudge Frosting.

These were really good. The marshmallow really added a special touch to these cupcakes. Since the actual cake part wasn't that sweet, the marshmallow filled in that void. It was then complemented by the frosting. You know how when you eat marshmallows, that they happen to disappear alot faster than other sweets? That's how these cupcakes were. No lie, these disappear from in front of you in 2 or 3 bites because of how lightly textured these are.

Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes
*makes 12 cupcakes*

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp chocolate cream liqueur
12 large marshmallows

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350F.
2) Line muffin pan with paper liners.
3) In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4) In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together sugar and oil until well combined. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and melted chocolate. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of buttermilk, beating until smooth. Beat in chocolate liqueur.
5) Scoop batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan.
6) While cupcakes are still hot, using a spoon, scoop a hole in the top of each cupcake, scooping down to the center. Push a marshmallow into each hole. Don't worry if the marshmallows stick up a bit from the top of the cupcakes. The warmth of the cupcakes will soften the marshmallows and they will smoosh down. (Discard scooped out cupcake or save to nibble on.) Let cool completely on rack. Top cooled cupcakes with frosting.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting
*makes enough to frost 12 to 18 cupcakes*

Ingredients :
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp chocolate cream liqueur
1 tbsp strong brewed coffee or milk
pinch salt

Directions :
1) In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, butter, chocolate liqueur, coffee, and salt until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary.
2) Spread frosting on cooled cupcakes.



Recipes from 125 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson