Soft and moist chocolate sponge, filled with rich, creamy chocolate ganache and topped with silky chocolate ganache buttercream and a gingerbread heart. The perfect cupcakes for the one you love!
Let’s talk Chocolate cupcakes!
If chocolate sponge alone isn’t enough chocolate for you, then you can double the love with these chocolate ganache filled and topped cupcakes.
They are the perfect cupcakes alone for birthdays or just a simple Saturday, and the addition of the gingerbread heart makes them ideal for Valentines Day.
If I told you a secret would you believe me if I told you I don’t really like cake?
It’s almost illegal I know as a baker, but chocolate sponge and buttercream are my exception. My best friend and I used to whip a cake and batch of buttercream most weekends as a snack. The buttercream was always the winner, but over time my palette has craved something richer and more decadent.
Adding the ganache and a hint of coffee is what makes this buttercream so incredible. It’s hard to put it into words but put it this way, I could quite literally eat it out of bowl with a spoon so I suggest you give it a go to see what I mean.
Jump to Recipe
Top tips for the best Chocolate Cupcakes
Make sure your ingredients are ready at room temperature
When making chocolate cupcakes, consider using a sugar that’s richer in flavour like a light brown or golden caster sugar. Using either will give the cupcakes a richer flavour and make it more moist. (sorry for using the M word)
Cream the butter and the sugar together first until light and fluffy, this makes sure your sponge is super light.
Use a good butter as this will also enhance the flavour. It also must be unsalted.
Brewed coffee is your secret ingredient and really helps enhance the chocolate and vanilla flavour. If you’re not a coffee fan don’t worry, you can’t taste it at all.
When baking the cupcakes, my top tip for keeping them flat is to bake them LOW AND SLOW. I get the best results baking at 160C for 25-30 minutes until springy to touch.
Top tips for the best Chocolate Buttercream
A simple chocolate buttercream, made with icing sugar, coco powder and butter is delicious, BUT when you combine this with a rich ganache you make delicious, DEVINE!
Temperature is key. Your butter should always be room temperature to avoid butter lumps and ensure you get a perfect fluffy and pale base for the rest of the ingredients. If you’ve forgotten to get your butter out, read, my Top 10 Baking Hacks post to find out how to get your butter to room temperature quicker.
Your ganache should be made using good quality chocolate. This should be no less than 40% cocoa for milk chocolate and no less than 70% for dark chocolate. Read where you can find the best quality chocolates HERE.
Adding milk makes the consistency perfect for piping but add is sparingly to avoid a chocolate soup.
Equally brewed coffee is your secret ingredient in chocolate buttercream too.
For more chocolate or valentines inspired cupcakes check out these recipes
Red Velvet Valentines cupcakes
Double the Love Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 200 g unsalted butter softened
- 200g g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 200 g self-raising flour
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp brewed coffee
- 1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
For the gingerbread hearts
- 85 g golden syrup
- 100 g unsalted butter softened
- 175 g dark muscovado sugar
- 350 g plain flour
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 egg beaten
- 3 drops pink food colouring
For the chocolate ganache
- 400 g milk chocolate chopped
- 200 ml double cream
For the chocolate ganache buttercream
- 250 g unsalted butter softened
- 500 g icing sugar
- 150 g chocolate ganache
- 1 tbsp brewed coffee
- 1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
- 1 tbsp milk to loosen if needed
Instructions
For the cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 160c/320F and line a cupcake tray with cupcake cases.
- In a large mixing bowl or standing mixer add the softened butter and sugar and mix them together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one by one, followed by the self-raising flour then mix until just combined.
- In a small bowl add the cocoa powder and mix into a paste with the milk and brewed coffee. Add this to the cake batter and mix it through until fully combined.
- Using a tablespoon or icecream scoop, fill each cupcake case equally, then lightly tap the cupcake tray on the surface too remove any air bubbles and put into the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven once they are baked and springy to touch, leave the cupcakes in the tin for a few minutes, then remove them and leave to fully cool on a wire rack.
For the gingerbread hearts
- Add the caster sugar, golden syrup and butter into a saucepan and melt them together for 1-2 mins. Add the pink food colouring and stir until the mixture is coloured pink then leave to cool for 5-10 minutes
- Add the flour and spices into a large bowl, then add the warm syrup mixture followed by the egg and stir everything together.
- When the mixture comes together, tip it onto a work surface and gently knead until smooth. Wrap in cling film and chill for 15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180C/356F and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and roll it out until its the thickness of £1 coin. Cut out gingerbread hearts with a cutter, re-rolling the excess dough and cutting until it’s all used up.
- Put the biscuits onto the lined trays and bake for 10-12 mins, then leave to cool for a few mins before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the ganache
- Whilst the biscuits and cupcakes are cooling, chop the chocolate into small pieces and tip into a mixing bowl.
- Pour the cream into a saucepan and gently heat on the hob until it begins to boil.
- Once the cream begins to boil, remove the saucepan from the heat immediately and pour the cream over the finely chopped chocolate. Leave for 2 minutes before mixing.
- After 2 minutes, whisk the chocolate and cream together until fully combined, then leave it on the side to cool for 30 minutes
- Whilst the ganache cools, using a small knife or cupcake corer cut a small hole out of the centre of the cupcakes, leaving the pieces you’ve cut out to one side.
- Once the ganache has cooled and thickened to a pipe-able consistency, spoon half of the ganache into a piping bag. Fill the holes of the cupcake with the ganache, then plug them back in with the sponge pieces. Leave to one side until later.
For the ganache buttercream
- To make the ganache buttercream, add the softened butter and icing sugar into a standing mixer and mix until combined.
- Add the remaining chocolate ganache and if required 1 tbsp milk to loosen then spoon into a piping bag fitted with a close tip nozzle and pipe swirls on top of each cupcake
- Top each cupcake with a pink heart and serve immediately. Keep in an airtight container and eat within 2-3 days.
