Monday, October 8, 2012

Ganache, Creme-Filled Cupcakes C:

 Oh gosh. You're looking at the total time, right? You're saying to yourself "Who has that kind of time? Who cares that much?". Well wait. Give me a chance to explain, okay!
The ganache needs to sit overnight. That's right, I said ganache. These bad boys are topped with several inches of chocolate ganache. And they are filled. With creme - marshmallow creme. 
You're reconsidering, right? Saying "Hmmm, this is tempting". Yeah, it is. And it is labor intensive, but it's fun. The kind of tedium that let's you watch How I Met Your Mother or listen to RadioLab or whatever else you like to do when you're ears are unoccupied. 
So let's calm down. It's a commitment. A serious one. But I think you'll find it quite rewarding. I found several how-to's for you so the tricky looking things can become reasonable. 
As Aladdin says "Do you trust me?" 



'cause I'm about to show YOU a whole new world.

Cupcake Batter
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
http://savorysweetlife.com
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
7.5 oz jar marshmallow fluff
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Chocolate Ganache (BEGIN THE NIGHT BEFORE)
16 ounces chocolate
16 ounces heavy whipping cream

The night before begin by making the ganache. I found this great how-to on ganache:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBZ3z4n7Fhc

So, you warm the cream until it's just boiling. Pour over the chocolate chips. Allow to sit for several minutes. Slowly begin stirring to incorporate the chocolate into the cream. It will take several minutes for them to mix together. You know it's mixed when the chocolate is entirely melted and small air bubbles are visable. You don't want to overmix though!
If the cream isn't warm enough for everything to melt, either microwave briefly, or make a double boiler. Allow to sit overnight.



The next day begin the cupcakes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare your muffin tins by placing muffin wrappers in them (hard work).
Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until combined. The key to many quick bread recipes is just stirring them enough to make them combined.
In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a spatula.

http://www.simplemathbakery.com/
 
 Pour the batter into the prepared pans


and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Be SURE they are completely cooled.




 As they cool begin the filling. Whip the room-temp butter until light and fluffy.. Add the fluff to butter and beat for 1 minute or until well combined. Add vanilla extract.Mix in the powdered sugar carefully - you want to try to prevent any clumps of sugar forming (although that isn't the worst thing that could happen). Set aside until cupcakes cool.
Now, look at your ganache. It's beautiful, right? Chocolate and cream. Love and happiness. Heaven. 
Anyways, you want to whip that sucker until it's like a fluffy and feels like a thick frosting. Hopefully by now your cupcakes are cool.
Once they are in cool, you have to begin a very delicate process- scooping out the middle. Cut into the cupcake at a rough 45 degree angle, making a triangle prism shape into the center. Remove the piece, and cut off the tip so you have just the top surface of the cupcake.  Sorry for the horrible description - here use this!
 http://bakingbites.com/2007/09/how-to-make-filled-cupcakes-step-by-step/ 


Gosh, I'd really like one of those, please

Transfer creme to a pastry bag fitted with a round pastry tip. If you, like me, aren't one of those fancy piping people, you can put it into a regular sandwich bag with a corner snipped off. Pipe filling into cupcake cores until level with the top of the cake. Transfer filled cupcakes to the fridge. Once filling is firmed up a bit (about 30 minutes - 1 hour), gently pat down any peaks in the filling with your finger (it shouldn’t stick to you — if it does, they need to be chilled longer). They are now ready for the ganache. Fill the hole with fluff creme and put the top back on. 



Repeat with all the cupcakes!
Now, time for the ganache frosting. Use the same piping device for the ganache a top the cupcakes. You have finished! Great job!


No comments:

Post a Comment