White Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes

I LOVE me some white chocolate...LOVE LOVE LOVE. I don't know what it is about white chocolate, but I just love it in any way. My favorite memory of eating white chocolate...yes, I know what you're thinking, She remembers a certain time she ate white chocolate?, but I'm telling you, anyone would remember...anyways, it was on the 2nd floor of the Eiffel tower (yes, THE Eiffel tower) while on my HS Senior trip in Paris. We had stopped on the 2nd floor before going all the way to the top of the tower. While there, a couple of us went into a gift shop. I didn't really see anything I wanted to get except this little tin of chocolates. I thought...hmmm, French chocolate...gotta try it. Inside this little tin was the BEST white chocolate I have ever had. Anyways, enough reminiscing. On the other hand, I'm not a coffee drinker. Well, I'm not a regular coffee drinker. I'm a "wimpy" coffee drinker. I like the sweet drinks like frozen cappucinos, iced lattes, etc. etc. (Still can't get that dang creme brulee latte out of my head...that thing was SO good!) Fortunately for me, these cupcakes didn't have a strong coffee flavor, just a little hint. If you like strong coffee flavors I would try and rework this recipe. Maybe you could use brewed espresso instead, or 1/2 espresso 1/2 coffee. You could brush coffee flavored syrup on top of the cupcake (saw that idea on one of the comments from the blog post that I got this recipe from). The white chocolate whipped cream is SO good. I could eat it alone. I bet it would be awesome on ice cream or a brownie...I could go on. So, on to the recipe. Enjoy!

Yield: 24 cupcakes


INGREDIENTS:
For the cupcakes:
5 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped - I used Baker's Semi-Sweet.
2 cups cake flour
½ tsp. salt
½ cup sour cream
5 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 ½ tsp. baking soda
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups hot coffee - I used regular ole Folgers.
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. brown sugar


For the whipped cream:
6 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped - I used a Lindt White Chocolate bar.
1 ½ cups cold heavy cream


For decorating:
4 oz. chocolate, finely chopped - I used left over Baker's Semi-Sweet.
chocolate sprinkles - I didn't use these because I had none on hand.


DIRECTIONS:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake pans with paper liners. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate. Let cool slightly. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt.


In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, cocoa powder and baking soda. Mix to form a paste and then slowly whisk in the coffee. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla.


In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Slowly add the egg and vanilla mixture and beat until combined. Add the melted chocolate and beat well. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the liquid mixture, beating just until all ingredients are incorporated.


Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


To make the white chocolate whipped cream, place the chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Melt, stirring occasionally. When the chocolate is almost melted, bring 1/2 cup of the cream to a boil. Once the chocolate is fully melted, transfer the bowl to a counter, pour in the hot cream and let it sit for one minute. Then stir gently with a spatula until the chocolate is smooth. Let the chocolate sit until it reaches room temperature – the chocolate can’t be the least bit warm when it is added to the whipped cream.


In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the remaining 1 cup cream only until it holds the softest peaks. With the mixer on high speed, add the white chocolate all at once and continue to beat just until the mixture holds firm peaks. Transfer the cream to a bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap gently against the surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.


While the cream is setting, make the chocolate decorations. Spread a piece of wax paper on a flat work surface. Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and microwave in 30 seconds intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted. Allow the chocolate to cool for several minutes. Transfer the melted chocolate to a plastic squeeze bottle (a plastic bag with the corner cut off would also work). Carefully squeeze the melted chocolate onto the wax paper in the desired shape. Allow to set completely. Carefully peel off of the wax paper.


Frost the cupcakes with the now set white chocolate whipped cream, top with chocolate sprinkles, and garnish with chocolate decorations. Store in the refrigerator but serve at room temperature for best flavor.


Side Note: As you can see from the picture, I did not have any cute swirly decorations on top of my cupcakes. I tried to make them, and they didn't turn out. I didn't wanna make any more so I just left em plain. If you wanna see how they look with the decorations, go to the link below.


Recipe Source: Annie's Eats