Cinco De Chili Chocolate Cupcakes With Chili Cream Cheese Frosting Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners.
• Empty the boxed cake mix into a mixing bowl, and whisk in 1 1/2 teaspoon of ground ancho chile and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat in the water, vegetable oil, and eggs; beat for 2 minutes. Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake cups, filling them 2/3 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Remove and cool completely before frosting.
• In a bowl, sift 1 teaspoon of ground ancho chile, 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and the cinnamon with the confectioners' sugar. Beat in the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until the frosting is smooth; mix in the vanilla extract. Spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes in attractive swirls, and poke a small dried chile, stem-side up, into the frosting as a garnish.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Prepare a cupcake pan with 24 cupcake liners.
• Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, chile powder, cayenne, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract in a 5-quart mixer with a paddle attachment on first speed. Add the sour cream and mayonnaise. Add the dry ingredients, 1 scoop at a time, allowing each scoop to be incorporated before adding the next. Once all the dry ingredients are incorporated, stop the mixer and scrape down sides and bottom. Turn the mixer up to second speed and mix well. Turn the mixer off. Add the chocolate chips and fold in by hand. Fill the cupcake liners using a 2-ounce scoop. Bake for 15 minutes. Insert a skewer into the cupcake, if it comes out clean they are ready to be removed from the oven. Let cool completely before decorating.
• To assemble: Place a star tip #849 in a large piping bag. Fill with Dark Chocolate Ganache and generously frost each cupcake. Mix equal parts gold dust with vodka to make an edible gold paint. Using a small round brush, paint the edges of the ganache with the edible gold paint. Garnish by placing 1 large and 5 small sugar diamonds on top of each cupcake. Sprinkle with edible gold glitter.
• Make your own double boiler by filling a pot half way with hot water. Let the water come to a boil. Place a metal bowl over the pot, making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Put the chocolate in the bowl and stir to melt. When the chocolate is melted completely, remove from the heat. Scald the cream (to 180 degrees F) in a pot over medium heat. Pour the heated cream over the melted chocolate and slowly incorporate; the chocolate will appear glassy. Add the butter, in pieces, to the chocolate. Mix until all the butter has melted. Let set for 1 to 2 hours. The ganache is ready when it is a pipe-able consistency.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In top part of double boiler over boiling water heat chocolate, 1/2 cup milk, brown sugar and egg yolk. Stir continuously and remove from heat when smooth and thick. Sift flour, baking soda and salt together into medium bow.
• In separate large bowl, beat together butter and sugar, add egg yolks, 3/4 cup milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Slowly add flour mixture and stir until smooth. Add chocolate mixture and combine. In separate bowl beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into batter. Bake in cupcake tins for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes in tins. Remove to cool completely. Combine frosting ingredients and frost cupcakes.

Steps:

• Boil water in a kettle then measure out 1-1/4 cup.
• Combine chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium sized bowl, add boiling water, whisk until smooth, set aside.
• Sift flours, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Add the ground pepper, set aside.
• In a standing mixer, beat butter until creamy.
• Add the brown sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• At medium speed, add eggs one at a time, beat well between each.
• Add sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined.
• Add about a third of the flour mixture, beat briefly until combined.
• Add about half of the chocolate mixture, beat briefly until combined.
• Repeat, adding flour, chocolate, then flour. Beat until just combined. Scrape down bowl if needed.
• Fill cupcake papers about 3/4s full. Bake at 350 degree oven for 22-25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine first four ingredients.
• Add chocolate chips and set aside.
• Mix remaining ingredients well.
• Fill muffin tins, lined with paper cups 1/3 to 1/2 full with this mixture.
• Drop a large spoonful of cheese mixture on top.
• Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.