Mis (adventures) of a cupcake rookie part 2: Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache

So the cupcake (mis) adventure continues…

Last Saturday, I spent my “first weekend after work for 2014” in the kitchen. After my first attempt to bake a decent batch of cupcakes last week, I’ve decided to try again… still with chocolates.

Actually, I was planning to bake red velvet cupcakes because it’s my other favorite flavor, but I changed my mind because I’m saving up a bit. This month, I’ll be going to Boracay (first time!) with my officemates, so I’ll be needing lots of pocket money. Because I’m experiencing shortage in terms of cash, I’ve decided to make cupcakes out of my existing ingredients from last time’s attempt. Luckily, I still have enough flour, chocolates, etc.

For my second time in “mastering the art of being a self-educated cupcake baker,” I used Aikko Aragon‘s chocolate cupcake recipe from Our Awesome Planet. I made some changes in the ingredients and topping, but aside from that, I just followed her instructions. 🙂

About the changes, well instead of using chocolate chips for the ganache, I just used my existing SureBuy Bittersweet Baking Chocolate to save money. For the heavy cream, I used Nestle All Purpose Cream.

Meanwhile, my chocolate batter turned out nice. After filling all the cupcake liners, I giddily put them in the oven and watched them puff up. So much kilig feels.

When I took them out, though, I was a bit disappointed. Yes, they were softer than the dark chocolate cupcakes (too soft, I think), but their tops looked kinda rough, cracked and crispy (but I guess that’s normal…?)

Moving on with my life (LOL), I let it pass and cooled them while I was preparing my ganache. After countless manual beatings with my wire whisk, the chocolate ganache still didn’t meet the right consistency for piping; it’s too thin to put into the piping bag. Since it was getting too late, I decided to refrigerate it (and the cupcakes) and see what will happen on the next day.

The following day… disaster welcomed me as I opened the ref and peeked at my ganache. It became too thick and crumbly! I panicked for a moment (yes, typical me), then I thought of a way to make things work. I heated the ganache for less than a minute, took out the cupcakes (which turned out moist and a bit sticky), dipped some onto the ganache, and refrigerated them again.

After almost an hour, they looked like this:

I may not have pulled off the swirled chocolate ganache I’ve been dreaming of, but I’m still glad at how things turned out. Glazed cupcakes, anyone? 🙂

In terms of taste, well… according to my “taste testers” at home, my chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache taste just right— not too sweet and not too bland. When I asked my sister, she just gave me a thumbs up. Works for me! Hahaha.

Of course this is not the end of my cupcake adventure. If I have the time and money, I’ll bake my third set of cupcakes. (And by that time, I hope I get the frosting right. Lol.)

And yes, I know I’m not good with plating and food photography. Oh well… :3

♥ Janey