HOT CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

it hot to be hot HOT CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Delicious chocolate cupcakes topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce make for the most gorgeous (and tasty) Hot Chocolate Cupcakes!

Winter is coming! And though that means I have to turn on the heat and bundle up when I leave for the store, it gives me the perfect excuse to cozy up with a mug of hot chocolate at night.  My favorite part about hot chocolate in the whipped cream (and my mother would agree).  So I didn’t want this cupcake to lose my favorite part!  The chocolate cake is topped with a stabilized whipped cream.  Why did I stabilize it? Because whipped cream likes to melt all over and that’s a mess and no fun.  So I added a little instant pudding mix to keep it thick! It’s really easy trick that you can use with all your pies and cakes! Plus, it’s perfect for those picky eaters who may not like frosting because it’s still light and fluffy and not overly sweet.

 If you want to take these to the next level, you can always fill the cupcakes with marshmallow cream!

Dressing your cupcakes up with cute liners can make all the difference! I get my liners and straws from Sweets and Treats  and they never fail me! People ask all the time why their liners lose their design and color after they bake and it’s because they are using liners that aren’t “greaseproof.”  Look for that when you but liners!

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The Story:

My mother and I are two peas in a pod.  Twenty Four years of inside jokes, shopping trips, road trips and she was even my t-ball, soccer, and basketball coach when I was a kid.  Hot chocolate is her favorite drink and it’s just not the Christmas season until we spend a morning at Starbucks sipping on hot cocoa.

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HOT CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake:

• 1 box devil's food cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 C. oil
• 1 C. butter milk or milk
• 1/2 C. sour cream or yogurt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2/3 C. mini chocolate chips optional

Whipped Cream Topping (2 options, see below recipe!):

• 1/2 pint whipping cream carton, liquid
• 1 Tbsp. instant white chocolate pudding powder

Chocolate Sauce and straws to decorate

Instructions

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners.
2. 2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, oil, buttermilk, sour cream and vanilla extract. (I sift my cake mix first to remove any lumps.)
3. 3. Fold in chocolate chips and fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
4. 4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
5. 5. Let cool.
6. 6. Whipped Cream Topping: (This is the easiest recipe for it, but there is another delicious option below!) Whip whipping cream and instant pudding mix together until stiff peaks form. NOTE: The pudding mix helps to stabilize the whipping cream, so it doesn't "melt" all over.
7. 7. Pipe whipped topping onto cupcakes and top with chocolate sauce and cute straws!

You can also use the Whipped Cream Topping from my Lemon 4th of July Cupcake recipe, it uses cream cheese to stabilize it instead of the pudding mix.  I like the pudding mix option because it’s so simple, but sometimes people can’t find the white chocolate flavor.  You can also use cheesecake flavored! The vanilla will also work, but it does change the color from white to a yellow-ish.

I tried to do the chocolate drizzle like Starbucks does… not sure if I succeeded but it still looks fun and whimsical.  For my chocolate drizzle on these I just used a Smucker’s jar of hot fudge (chocolate sauce works too) and put it in a little ziplock bag and snipped off the corner.  I always keep a little jar of chocolate and caramel sauce in the fridge and will use it to dress up my desserts or drinks.  It’s an easy way to jazz-up anything 

I know it’s not Thanksgiving yet but I just can’t help myself with all the fun Christmas cupcakes!

Wreath Cupcakes using M&M’s and Fruit by the Foot bows!