Ganache-filled Brownie Cupcakes
These ganache-filled brownie cupcakes consist of 3 chocolatey components:
- Brownie cupcakes: these are not your regular chocolate cupcakes. They are dense, moist, and full of chocolate flavor.
- Runny ganache center: made out of only two ingredients: heavy cream and milk chocolate. Using milk chocolate instead of a dark one, results in a milder flavor that pairs perfectly with rich cocoa cupcakes.
- Whipped ganache frosting: brings a lot of chocolatey flavor and has a light and fluffy texture. It fits this recipe much better than a heavy buttercream.
FAQ
Can I prepare these cupcakes the day ahead?
Yes, you can. That is exactly what I did and I can tell you they looked equally good the next day. As long as you keep them in the fridge, the frosting will keep its shape and you won´t have any problems. As for the flavor, I would say they taste even better the next day. It's because the cupcakes have enough time to absorb some of the liquid from the frosting which makes them moister, and also all the flavors really come together! That being said, they also taste great right after you make them.
How can I store and freeze the ganache-filled brownie cupcakes?
You should keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you want to freeze them, I would recommend you freeze them before adding the frosting. This frosting is whipped cream based and freezing it might cause a change in texture.
Is this recipe versatile?
I was making these cupcakes for a bigger group of people, and that´s why I decided to go with pure chocolate flavor…I mean, if you don´t know what they like and don´t like it´s always best to play safe. However, I am a big fan of adding flavors and fun twists. If you want to spice things up a bit, here are several suggestions:
⦁ adding orange zest (and juice instead of water) into the batter
⦁ adding chopped nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds…) into the batter
⦁ Substituting milk chocolate with white, dark, or noisette chocolate
⦁ using coffee instead of water in the batter
⦁ Adding some rum
⦁ adding some cinnamon (especially if you are making these in winter)
Let me guide you through a couple of simple steps, resulting in wonderful and rich cupcakes full of chocolate flavor!
- 225 grams all-purpose flour
- 170 grams sugar
- 2 eggs
- 30 grams cocoa
- 125 milliliters oil
- 250 milliliters milk
- 10 grams baking powder
- 100 milliliters hot water
- 400 milliliters heavy cream
- 200 grams milk chocolate
- 15 grams whipped cream stabilizer (This is basically modified starch)
- Chocolate-coated hazelnuts for decoration (optional)
- Let´s start baking!
Make the cupcakes:
Mix the eggs with sugar until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy. Combine the wet (except for the hot water) and the dry ingredients separately and add them alternately to the egg and sugar mixture. At the end add the hot water. Pour the batter into the cupcake pan (don´t forget the paper cups!). Try not to overfill the cups, because the cupcakes will rise in the oven. Bake them at 180 C until the toothpick comes out clean. Leave them to cool down.
Now let us prepare the runny chocolate filling and chocolate frosting:
Heat the 200 ml of heavy cream using a stove or a microwave. It should be hot but not boiling. Now add the chocolate in and stir until it melts completely. Let it cool down to room temperature and then pack it in the fridge to cool down even more (cca 2 hours). In the meantime make little holes in the cupcakes for the filling. I like to use the other end of the wooden spoon, but you choose what works best for you. Once you´ve made the holes, fill them with ganache. I recommend you put the cupcakes and the ganache back in the fridge before frosting.
For the frosting:
Take the remaining ganache from the fridge and add another 200 ml of cold heavy cream (it is very important that both ganache and heavy cream are cold) to it. Whipp it up using a hand mixer. Start on low speed, then add the whipped cream stabilizer and continue whipping on high speed until you get a firm whipped ganache. Put it into a piping bag and decorate your cupcakes. You can also finish them off by adding a chocolate-coated hazelnut on top, but that´s totally up to you.
Whipped cream stabilizer- I used a stabilizer called "Whip it". It is packed in portion-sized small bags and each bag is sufficient for 200 ml of cream. If you don´t have this product in the country where you live, just use modified starch.