Ice Cream Sundae Cupcakes

So, I had a dilemma: 2.36pm I get an email at work letting us know that we have a morning tea the next day.. Lunch has already passed and my Emo wants my car when I get home - so I couldn't really go out and buy any ingredients or even some grocery shop goodies that I can claim as my own. So what could I do?

Of course I was looking though http://www.foodgawker.com/ instead of actually doing any work and I stumbled across a recipe from http://www.mysweetkitchen.blogspot.com/ for Ice cream Sundae Cupcakes.Seriously that is some serious food porn right there.

I fantasized about diving into one as soon as I saw them! As soon as you bite into them, light, moist, chocolaty cupcake, with delicious buttercream, a rich thick sinful chocolate ganache centre.. and don't forget the toppings.. More ganache, mini marshmallows and crushed peanuts... mmmmmmmm *drools*.

I could NOT help but want to make these! I love making sweets that trick the eye and also had almost all of the items in the recipe - the only thing lacking was Maraschino Cherries what was a let down, because I lovvvveeeee Marachino Cherries. *sad face*.

In the end, my cuppycakes turned out OK, not as pretty as the ones on sweetest kitchen. Most of them went throughout the day even though there were a lot more sweets you can choose from- Monte Carlos, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Swiss Roll, Apple Tea Cake, Party Pies, Chips, and some heavenly looking chocolate, cherries and cream layer cake.

I ate about 4 of the 24 total.. Trying to make it not so obvious except the noises coming from my desk.. "Mmmmmmmm...!" and "Munch Munch Much"

I seriously recommend making these, you won't regret it!!

Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Hershey’s
Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup boiling water

Method
Heat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper baking cups.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Using the cone method, fill cupcakes with chocolate ganache (recipe follows). Frost with buttercream (recipe follows) using a round piping tip, then spoon chocolate ganache glaze (recipe follows) on top of buttercream. Put sprinkles on as soon as you finish putting the ganache on each cupcake, just in case the ganache hardens too much for the sprinkles to stick. Push a maraschino cherry into the top of each mound of frosting (the ones with stems make a better presentation!).

Chocolate Ganache Filling
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Makes enough to fill 12 cupcakes (with a little leftover)

Ingredients
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

Method
Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and stir until combined.

I put the ganache in the refrigerator to firm it up just a little teeny bit, about 15-20 minutes I think it was. It was still pourable, but it wasn’t dripping everywhere, either.

Vanilla Buttercream
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes enough to generously frost 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method
Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Reduce speed to medium. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, about 5 minutes. (After every 2 additions, increase speed to high, and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce speed to medium-high). Add vanilla, and beat until buttercream is smooth.

Chocolate Ganache Glaze
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes enough to top 12 cupcakes (with a little leftover)

Ingredients
3 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup

Method
Place chocolate in a medium-size heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate begins to melt.

Gently stir chocolate and cream until totally combined; begin near the center of the bowl and gradually work your way toward the edge, pulling in as much chocolate as possible, until the mixture is smooth and glossy.