Top Deck Cupcakes

No, I haven't misplaced my piping nozzles - I was going for the rustic look with these ones... which is surprisingly hard to do neatly. Funny that!
No, not really... I've been having some sense of humour issues... o_O

It's been one of those weeks:
Two failed recipes (still scraping the dregs of one of them off my cookie trays); chocolate with the sulks; humidity literally making sugar creations weep, and a virus (courtesy of the first week back at pre-school.)
Oh, the joys!
So, I wasn't expecting much from these cupcakes, especially the ganache - which I liked the sound of, but fully expected to separate at the addition of the cream cheese. But, it didn't. The week might be redeemed!

Here they are, courtesy of Yuppie Chef and Leigh who kind of insisted they be tea at Saturday's class ;o)

I'm an incorrigible fiddler when it comes to recipes. So if you want to see the original, find it here; but here's mine with some small changes:

Top Deck Cupcakes

Recipe adapted from Yuppie Chef

Chocolate Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 180'C
Line 2x muffin trays with cupcake cases

280g cake flour
2 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
15g unsweetened cocoa powder
200g brown sugar
2 XL eggs
200g dark chocolate, melted
180ml vegetable oil
250ml buttermilk
150ml sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt

Sift the cake flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
Mix in the melted chocolate, followed by the oil, buttermilk, vanilla and sour cream. Mix well.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, and pour in the egg/ chocolate mixture.
Use a figure of eight motion to mix the batter.
Divide amongst the prepared cupcake cases.

Bake at 180'C for approx. 18minutes - remove from the oven when a cake tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.

Remove from the muffin trays to cool.

Cream Cheese Ganache

360g white chocolate
120ml cream (you can use sour cream)
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
250g cream cheese

Melt the chocolate together with the cream and vanilla pod in a double boiler.
Remove from the heat when all the chocolate has just about melted, and stir until smooth.
Scrape out the seeds from half the vanilla pod, and mix into the ganache.
Allow to cool and set slightly. Stir often to prevent a skin forming on the surface of the ganache.

Beat the cream cheese to soften it, then slowly beat in the ganache. Mix until smooth.
Spread onto the cooled cupcakes.

Like most chocolate cakes, the flavour is even better on day 2 - if you can resist them that long...

Enjoy!

xxM