I’m not certain how many of you remember that for my birthday in February I set the invitation out for you to ask me questions about anything. It didn’t have to just be stamping related. Well, I kind of let that fall away as other things required more of my time, but the questions have been at the back of my mind.

One of the questions I was asked was from Cristina, she asked:

Here are some Q’s for you. Do you have a favourite chocolate and non-chocolate muffin/cupcake recipe? I know it’s not yet here, but do you have any favourite Easter dessert/baked goodies recipes?

Are there any new pretty paper (ie patterned papers) out there for which you are excited?

How embarrassed am I that this was before Easter! *nervous giggles* Well, since then I’ve been trying different chocolate cupcake recipes. In the past I didn’t really use recipes, I was using box mixes for my cupcakes. But I’ve since found it really fun to make cupcakes from scratch. The above cupcake is from a wonderful cupcake book called The Artful Cupcake by Marcianne Miller. The pictures are beautiful and they all sound so yummy! Today I’ll share one of the recipes with you, and I encourage you to purchase the book for the other yummy cupcake recipes. And don’t forgot, if you order thru Amazon to head over to Splitcoaststampers, scroll down and hit the Amazon button on the left hand side to help support the site!

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

Bake 24 cupcakes using the Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes recipe:

1 2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350(F) and prepare the muffin pans with nonstick spray and flour or paper cups.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the cocoa and sugar and mix until thoroughly blended.

3. Add the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla and beat until smooth.

4. Pour or spoon the batter into the pans, filling at least halfway. Bake for 15 – 20 mintues, until the cakes test done.

5. Remove the pans and turn out the cupcakes onto a wire rack to cool.

*A few tips on making the cupcakes. Remember, your cupcakes will only taste as good as the ingredients you use. Be sure to use fresh flour and baking soda. Since the cocoa is a big part of the recipe, be sure to buy a good brand. I like to use Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa.

To ganache cupcakes:

1. Prepare Dark Chocolate Ganache as follows:

8 oz heavy cream
8 oz good quality bittersweet dark chocolate (I used Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Chips)

If using squares of baking chocolate, chop into fine pieces and place in a small bowl.

Bring the cream in a small pot to a simmer.

Pour the simmering cream over the chopped chocolate and stir until smooth.

Cool to room temperature.

*I like to heat up the cream in a double boiler, then add the chocolate and stir until smooth.

Milk Chocolate Ganache

4 oz heavy cream
4 oz good quality milk chocolate (I like to use Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips)

Prepare using the same directions as the Dark Chocolate Ganache.

2. Place cooled cupcakes on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath.

3. Use a ladle or spoon to pour the Dark Chocolate Ganache over the cupcakes to cover all the edges. Let is set about 10 minutes on each cake.

4. Using a fork, drizzle the Milk Chocolate Ganache over each cupcake as desired. Refigerate the cakes until serving time.

5. Before serving, you can “embellish” the cupcakes using chocolate shavings or curls.

I seriously LOVE these chocolate cupcakes! As you can tell, they are not round. I used square silicone baking cups from Wilton. You can do this with round cupcakes, but I would suggest making more of the Dark Chocolate Ganache since they will turn out bigger than the square cupcakes.

As for other cupcake flavors or Easter treats. I really don’t have a favorite for those, yet!

But as for the patterned paper, I thought these cute papers were fitting with today’s post: Cute Cakes

I want them all! *grin*

If you get a chance to try these cupcakes out, let me know how you like them! They really do go together quickly and are worth the effort!