Chocolate-Chocolate-Chocolate-Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes (aka, Quintuple Chocolate Cupcakes)
Last week I had quite a few people ask me if Hubby or someone else was going to bake for my birthday. As someone who LOVES to bake, I really don’t mind baking my own cake (although the cake Hubby baked for me last year was amazing!). It’s an excuse to go all out and make a cake (or cupcakes) that’s totally over the top.
I had originally set out to make chocolate cupcakes filled with salted caramel and topped with ganache. But the first batch of chocolate cupcakes didn’t turn out and I was just too frustrated to continue with that idea. I needed to come up with something else for my birthday, but I’m sure I’ll go back to the salted caramel cupcake idea at some point.
I was perusing my Google reader’s cupcake tag and I saw these banana split cupcakes. Hello, beautiful! With those cupcakes as my inspiration, I came up with these quintuple chocolate cupcakes.
They start with an amazing chocolate cupcake. Next comes a swirl of chocolate cream cheese frosting. Then the cupcakes get dipped in a chocolate sauce and chocolate sprinkles. Last, another swirl of chocolate cream cheese frosting is added on top. These cupcakes were definitely over the top, super chocolatey, and the perfect cupcake to celebrate my birthday!
One Year Ago: Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes and Homemade Coleslaw
Two Years Ago: Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Toasts
Quintuple Chocolate Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the Quintuple Chocolate Cupcakes
12 chocolate cupcakes, recipe below
1 batch chocolate cream cheese frosting, recipe below
1 batch chocolate dipping sauce, recipe below
1 cup chocolate sprinkles (or jimmies, if that's what you call them)
For the Chocolate Cupcakes
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut up
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
For the Chocolate Dipping Sauce
4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp heavy cream
4 Tbsp powdered sugar
5-8 Tbsp water, warm
Directions:
For the Quintuple Chocolate Cupcakes
Bake the cupcakes and allow to cool completely in the pan. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting.
Once completely cool, using a fat round tip, pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake. Place the entire tray of cupcakes in the freezer so the frosting will not melt while dipping it.
While the cupcakes are in the freezer, make the chocolate dipping sauce and allow it to come to room temperature.
Pour the chocolate dipping sauce into a small bowl (I used my 1-cup round tupperware bowls). You want it to be just larger in diameter than a cupcake, and fairly deep. Place the sprinkles in another similarly sized bowl.
Dip the cupcakes into the chocolate sauce until all the frosting is covered. Then add an edge of sprinkles by holding the cupcake sideways in the sprinkles and rotating until all sides are covered with sprinkles. Alternatively, you could just dip the whole thing in sprinkles if you want.
Place entire tray of cupcakes back in the freezer for the chocolate to set up.
Now using a fat star tip, pipe a smaller swirl on top of the cupcake. Store in the refrigerator.
For the Chocolate Cupcakes
Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a heatproof bowl, combine chocolate and cocoa powder.
In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the granulated sugar, butter, and water, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Pour the butter mixture over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.
Whisk the milk, egg, extra yolk, and vanilla into the chocolate mixture until combined.
In a bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until blended. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth.
Let the batter sit at room temperature for 1 hour or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Set the oven at 350 degrees.
Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake for 30 minutes or until the tops spring back when pressed lightly with a fingertip. Set on a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Using a handheld electric beater, cream the cream cheese and butter together thoroughly.
Add the salt, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
Finally, mix in the melted chocolate and blend thoroughly until smooth.
For the Chocolate Dipping Sauce
Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Slowly stir mixture to combine.
Add powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until pouring consistency is reached. Set aside and let sauce cool to warm.
Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe from Joanne Chang, as seen in the Flour cookbook
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe from Food Network
Chocolate Dipping Sauce Recipe from Bakers Royale
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Dark chocolate truffles in cookie form? Um, YES!!! I’ll take a dozen for myself and another dozen for later, please.
Wow – these sound good! and I truly do not understand how people can just “not be into chocolate!” It is my favorite!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:26 pm
Yea, I really don’t get it either. Oh well, more for me!
Oh wow, chocolate truffle cookies sound divine! These look ridiculously good! Love that they’re salted too!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:27 pm
I have been sprinkling salt on all of my cookies recently. It makes them much more adult and less super-sweet.
Yum these look divine!
I’m always in need of a chocolate fix! I have several friends that claim they are not chocolate people, yet I find whenever I make something chocolate + salt, they are all over it!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:28 pm
I definitely find that people who claim they aren’t chocolate people rarely say no to any homemade baked goods. Chocolate or otherwise.
Oh my! These look divine 🙂 I’d love to make these babies soon!
these look amazing!! and how thick that batter is 🙂 love the sea salt!
beantownbaker — May 8th, 2013 @ 8:29 pm
The batter was basically ganache. You could have just made truffles from it directly.
I love any and all things dark chocolate. These look so decadent!
I’m curious to find out what blog platform you’re working with?
I’m having some minor security problems with my latest blog and I’d like to find something
more safeguarded. Do you have any suggestions?
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:56 pm
I use WordPress
Wow! Those look so perfectly decadent! I’m practically drooling on my screen 😉
Just made these. Worried I didn’t bake them long enough… however they still tasted divine. Waiting to get the verdict from my husband on them.
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:11 pm
I think underbaking these sounds like a great idea. I might have to do that next time.
Since I’m trying this recipe for the first time, can I halve the entire recipe?
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:12 pm
Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I didn’t see this comment until now! I don’t see why you couldn’t make a half batch of these cookies. Did you try it? How did they turn out?
These are the most amazing chocolate cookies I have ever made. Everyone with whom I have shared them have gone absolutly nuts and want the recipe. I do not wet my hands when rolling the cookies into balls—too messy. I just let my hands get sticky and rinse and dry them after making several balls. This is one of the best recipes on Pinterest.
beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:13 pm
Thanks for the kind words! So glad you enjoy these cookies. I was wondering if getting my hands wet actually helped with the messiness very much. Next time I’ll be sure to just go at it without dealing with the water.
Hey! I tried halving the recipe…but it melted while in the oven. Became runny & all of them just stuck together 🙁
I tried just one batch. Anything I can do to fix the remaining batter?
beantownbaker — June 18th, 2013 @ 4:01 pm
Interesting… How did you account for half of an egg? And is your baking powder past it’s expiration date?
Ohh! Looks like I’ve added a lil too much egg. Damn! Any way I can fix the batter? Add more flour perhaps? Plz help!
beantownbaker — June 19th, 2013 @ 7:12 am
I’d add a little more flour to see if you can balance out the extra amount of egg in there.
I added 1/4 cup more flour & a teensy bit of baking powder to my messed up batter & they came out wonderfully! They’re so gooey & yumm that my husband & son (who never eats chocolate!) finished six cookies at one go!
Amazing recipe!! Thank you so much for your help, I appreciate it !
beantownbaker — June 20th, 2013 @ 7:00 am
Oh GOOD! So glad you were able to make them work. Aren’t they divine?
U bet! They are sinfully delicious! Sent some in my son’s snack pack & I have mommies calling for these cookies!
I’m officially ur No.1 fan now! 🙂
beantownbaker — June 20th, 2013 @ 7:18 am
Aww Thanks! 🙂
Hi, I was wondering if I could put them in the freezer instead of the fridge for a shorter period of time? If so, how long should I put them in the freezer for instead of the fridge?
beantownbaker — June 27th, 2013 @ 8:06 am
Hm. You could definitely try it. I would think it’s still going to need an hour or so in the freezer since you want it to set up pretty well. Let me know how it turns out if you do.