Week 9: Devil's Food Cream Filled Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

I used a small knife to cut the center out of the middle of these guys.

I used a pastry bag to place the delicious cream filling inside.

I think they look really similar to a TastyKake.

Up close and personal.

I know what you are thinking. She is making her very favorite cupcake combo in the world. I know it is no secret that I have a deep affection for chocolate. It is my friend. It makes everything better but I am being honest when I tell you, my better half requested these cupcakes. He says these are his "favorite" cupcake. What you need to know about my better half is that he lives in the moment. He says many things are his favorite. No matter what he enjoys eating, wearing or doing, at that particular time, it really is his favorite. It is one of the many reasons I like him. I have been known to point this character trait out to him occasionally but in this case who am I to argue with a brilliant food choice?

I think our affection for this cupcake is in our roots in Philadelphia where Tastykakes originated. My husband and I lived very close to each other in Philly during a part of our childhood and never knew it but I see some influences from living there once in awhile. I am proud to say I grew up in Philly. There is a certain attitude there. It is very comforting to me when I am around someone from Philly. My beloved sees it another way. We won't go into that now.We both ate our share of TastyKakes growing up. There was always a huge billboard on the Schuylkill Expressway when we were driving around Philly with a ginormous picture of one of a delicious TastyKake cupcake that I looked for whenever we drove by it in our wood-paneled station wagon with the rear seat that faced backwards. This was the best car we owned when I was young because me and my two brothers didn't have to sit all crammed in the back with vinyl seats, no air conditioning and sticky, sweaty skin touching each other. I will confess that in other cars we had we would stuff my little brother into the back window or down on the floor. It didn't matter that it was 100 degrees in that window or that there was a hump in the floor. I feel a little bad about  that now and it could explain alot about my little brother today.

These cupcakes are super chocolaty and nostalgic, at least to me. I spread the icing on top in a thin layer using a miniature offset spatula, it worked perfect. Below is the recipe.

Cupcakes

2 cups of cake flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
*If you don't have buttermilk you can put 1 tbsp. vinegar into 1 cup of milk, allow to sit for approximately 5 minutes and you get the same result.

Vanilla Frosting for Filling

6 tbsp. of unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cups marshmallow fluff
1 1/2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. heavy cream 

Chocolate Frosting

7 1/2 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. softened unsalted butter
2-3 cups confectioners' sugar

Mix the dry ingredients together and whisk well. Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium-high until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Reduce to low and add dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately, until blended. Bake approximately 15-20 minutes until wooded pick inserted comes out clean. Cool on rack 5 minutes.

Beat all ingredients for vanilla frosting for filling in mixer until light and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar slowly to avoid a big mess of white all over your kitchen like someone I may or may not know. Just giving fair warning to those I care about. Insert into middle of cupcake with a pastry bag.

For the chocolate frosting melt heavy cream and chocolate until melted. Whisk in the butter. allow to cool in refrigerator for approximately 15 minutes. Remove and beat with mixer gradually adding confectioners' sugar until smooth and fluffy. You may need to add a little heavy cream to get the right consistency.

I realized a dominate theme in this recipe is "fluffy." That word makes me laugh. I don't know why. Some words just make me smile. You have any words that make you laugh? Tell me about them if you do, I need to know I am not the only one. I'm not, right? Right?