Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes
User Reviews
5
Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes
Description
The cupcakes are baked from a batter blending all-purpose flour, brown and granulated sugars, cocoa powder, and leavening agents, enriched with vegetable oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, and peppermint extracts, plus hot water and sour cream for a tender crumb. After baking and cooling, each cupcake is topped with a thin layer of milk chocolate ganache made from milk chocolate chips and heavy cream.
Following chilling, the cupcakes are decorated with a peppermint-flavored cream cheese frosting, which provides a creamy, tangy contrast to the sweet chocolate layers. The crushed peppermint candy cane garnish adds texture along with a refreshing bite, enhancing the mint chocolate combination.
This recipe crafts a festive, moderately rich cupcake ideal for holidays, celebrations, or chocolate and mint lovers. The frosting piping adds an appealing visual layer as well.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 egg large
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- 1/3 cup water hot
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 milk chocolate ganache recipe follows, recipe
- 1 peppermint cream cheese frosting recipe follows, recipe
- ½ cup peppermint candy cane crushed
- For the Milk Chocolate Ganache
- 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream
For the Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 Tbsp butter softened, salted
- 6 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add in vegetable oil, milk, egg, vanilla extract and peppermint extract and beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 2 minutes. Stir in hot water, stir until well combined. Add in sour cream and mix until well blended. Fill paper lined muffin cups ¾ full and bake cupcakes in preheated oven for 17 – 19 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool several minutes in muffin pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
- Once cupcakes are cool, spread about 1 teaspoon cooled milk chocolate ganache over each cupcake. Place cupcakes in a 13x9 inch baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and chill about 10 mintues while you make the peppermint cream cheese frosting.
- Pipe each chocolate ganache covered cupcake with peppermint cream cheese frosting and sprinkle cupcakes with crushed candy canes.
For the Milk Chocolate Ganache
- Combine milk chocolate chips and cream in a microwave safe bowl and microwave mixture on 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Cool mixture in refrigerator for about 10 minutes (basically until it’s a spreadable not so drippy consistency).
For the Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, whip together butter and cream cheese until fluffy, about 1 minute. Stir in vanilla and peppermint extract. Slowly add in powdered sugar and mix until well combined and fluffy.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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