Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes with Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting

Sabrina Ko — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:37:39 +0000

I made these cupcakes this weekend for my future brother-in-law’s birthday. Happy Birthday, D!

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes. Published May 1, 2010. From Cook’s Illustrated.

Use a high quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate for this recipe, such as one of the test kitchen’s favorite baking chocolates, Callebaut Intense Dark Chocolate L-60-40NV or Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar. The cupcakes can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored unfrosted in an airtight container.

Ganache Filling Ingredients:

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp confectioners’ sugar

Chocolate Cupcake Ingredients:

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
3/4 cup hot coffee
3/4 cup bread flour (I used 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1/2 cup self-rising bread flour)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extra

Instructions

FOR GANACHE FILLING: Place chocolate, cream, and confectioners’ sugar in medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave on high power until mixture is warm to touch, 20 to 30 seconds. Whisk until smooth; transfer bowl to refrigerator and let stand until just chilled, no longer than 30 minutes.
FOR CUPCAKES: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard-size muffin pan (cups have ½-cup capacity) with baking-cup liners. Place chocolate and cocoa in medium bowl. Pour hot coffee over mixture and whisk until smooth. Set in refrigerator to cool completely, about 20 minutes. Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
Whisk oil, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla into cooled chocolate-cocoa mixture until smooth. Add flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Place one slightly rounded teaspoon ganache filling on top of each cupcake. Bake until cupcakes are set and just firm to touch, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before frosting, about 1 hour.

Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting

The frosting can be made up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container. When ready to frost, place frosting in a microwave-safe container and warm briefly on high power until just slightly softened, 5 to 10 seconds. Once warmed, stir until creamy.

Ingredients

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg whites
1/8 tsp table salt
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 1 tbsp pieces
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Instructions

Combine sugar, egg whites, and salt in bowl of stand mixer; place bowl over pan of simmering water. Whisking gently but constantly, heat mixture until slightly thickened, foamy, and registers 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 2 to 3 minutes.
Place bowl in stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat mixture on medium speed until consistency of shaving cream and slightly cooled, 1 to 2 minutes. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, until smooth and creamy. (Frosting may look curdled after half of butter has been added; it will smooth with additional butter.) Once all butter is added, add vanilla and peanut butter; mix until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light, fluffy, and thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds, scraping beater and sides of bowl with rubber spatula as necessary.
TO FROST: Mound 2 to 3 tablespoons frosting on center of each cupcake. Using small icing spatula or butter knife, spread frosting to edge of cupcake, leaving slight mound in center.

Apricot Tea Cakes

Sabrina Ko — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:39:47 +0000

Having found a remote interest in desserts (making them…the eating them interest was always present), Teresa made some delicious Apricot Tea Cakes for our mom’s birthday dinner. Recipe from Tartelette: Apricot And Lavender Brown Butter Tea Cakes

Les fraises et les fleurs

Sabrina Ko — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:50:27 +0000

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

Sabrina Ko — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 04:44:43 +0000

Yesterday was Andrew’s birthday and despite work obligations and a massive headache, we did find time to go to Chez Maman for our favorite burgers and eat some strawberry shortcake at home.

I would show you pictures of what I got Andrew as his birthday gift, but they’re all being returned. Instead, I’ll share one of my all-time favorite photos, taken on the night that Andrew first sang to me. For his birthday two years ago, I gave him a framed print of this photo and I wrote a line from one of the songs he sang below it, “Have mercy on the man who sings to be adored.” It’s still hanging up in the living room.

Thanksgiving

Sabrina Ko — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:58:47 +0000

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. We cooked our first Thankgsiving at the Ko household the weekend before so that Teresa and I could be with our boyfriends’ families this year. The cooking started 3 days before and I was so sick and tired of what I cooked – the turkey and gravy, cornbread and sausage stuffing, the green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes – that I didn’t take any pictures. Instead, I opted to take pictures of the dessert (courteous of Teresa), and the wine from Stag’s Leap…an excellent wine if you’re looking for one.

Sabrina Ko Photography » dessert

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes with Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting