{"id":656,"date":"2009-03-06T08:56:35","date_gmt":"2009-03-06T14:56:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hottie-biscotti.com\/blog\/?p=656"},"modified":"2009-03-06T08:56:35","modified_gmt":"2009-03-06T14:56:35","slug":"homemade-ding-dongs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hottie-biscotti.com\/blog\/2009\/03\/06\/homemade-ding-dongs\/","title":{"rendered":"Homemade Ding Dongs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cupcakes are still “in” and trendy I suppose, but I haven’t really gotten in to them. \u00a0I’ve made cupcakes more than a few times, but I would prefer to bake a cake or cookies. \u00a0And I would rather eat a cookie or brownie than a cupcake. \u00a0Call me crazy!<\/p>\n

However, when I found this recipe on Baking Bites<\/a>, I had to give them a try.<\/p>\n

\"cupcake11\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0The recipe for the cupcakes is actually three recipes; chocolate cupcakes, vanilla cream filling and chocolate buttercream frosting. \u00a0You could use a boxed cake mix and reduce the time you spend in the kitchen. \u00a0You have to make the filling, and the frosting. \u00a0They are both truly delicious. \u00a0These cupcakes are a little more tedious than the bake, cool and frost cupcakes, but they are special.<\/p>\n

If you’d asked me yesterday while I was making the batter and baking the first batch, “Carrie, should I make these cupcakes?” I would have said “No! \u00a0Do not make these cupcakes. \u00a0The recipe is poorly written and now I’m going to have to throw away all these cupcakes and use a friggin’ cake mix! \u00a0Oh, the time I have wasted today!” \u00a0Here are the first dozen.<\/p>\n

\"cupcake\"\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

An attenpt at releasing these from the pan was, well, not a success.\"cupcake3\"<\/p>\n

I was not a happy camper. \u00a0I baked the second pan with better results. \u00a0I was actually able to use all of these cupcakes. \u00a0I had to trim the overflow from the ones on the left to make them the right size, but that was much less painful than having to bake another batch. \u00a0Whew! \u00a0I did not have to resort to the cake mix. \u00a0\"cupcake4\"<\/p>\n

I must complain about this, just to vent a little. \u00a0Here is an excerpt from the recipe:<\/p>\n

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by sour cream and vanilla extract.<\/em><\/strong>
\nIn a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Add half of flour mixture to the butter mixture, followed by the sour cream and vanilla extract<\/em><\/strong>, followed by the addition of the rest of the flour mix. Stir well between each addition and mix until no streaks of flour remain.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Do you see the problem here? \u00a0Well, I made the mistake of reading the recipe as I mixed, so I mixed in the sour cream and vanilla the first time I was told to. \u00a0So, the second time around I had no sour cream to mix in! \u00a0Yes, I know that I should have read through the recipe before I started. \u00a0Then I would have noticed the discrepancy and used my extensive baking knowledge to know to add the sour cream and flour alternately. \u00a0I have fixed the recipe below. \u00a0You’re welcome!<\/p>\n

When all was said and done, these cupcakes were very, very good. \u00a0The cake was moist and chocolatey. \u00a0The filling has a great consistency and just the right amount of sweetness. \u00a0The buttercream was easy and paired well with the other components. \u00a0Enjoy!<\/p>\n

\"cupcake10\"<\/p>\n

Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Cream Filling<\/strong>
\n1\/2 cup butter, room temperature
\n2 cups sugar
\n3 large eggs
\n3\/4 cup sour cream (low fat or full)
\n1 tsp vanilla extract
\n2 cups all purpose flour
\n2 tsp baking soda
\n1\/2 tsp salt
\n1\/4 cup cocoa powder
\n2-oz dark chocolate
\n1 cup water, boiling<\/p>\n

Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease two 12-cup muffin tins.
\nIn a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs one at a time.<\/p>\n

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Add half of flour mixture to the butter mixture, followed by the sour cream and vanilla extract, followed by the addition of the rest of the flour mix. Stir well between each addition and mix until no streaks of flour remain.
\nStir the cocoa powder and the dark chocolate into the boiling water (easiest in a large measuring cup). Pour chocolate water into the rest of the batter and stir until uniform.<\/p>\n

\"batter\"
\nEvenly distribute batter into prepared baking cups. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the cakes spring back when lightly pressed. (It’s fine if you can’t fit both trays into the oven at the same time, just wait until one batch finishes before putting in the second pan)
\nTurn cupcakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting and filling.<\/p>\n

Vanilla Cream Filling<\/strong>
\n3 tbsp all purpose flour
\n1\/2 cup milk (low fat is fine)
\n1\/2 cup butter (or trans fat-free shortening)
\n1\/2 cup granulated sugar
\n1\/2 scraped vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract<\/p>\n

Whisk together the flour and milk and cook in a small saucepan over medium heat until thick. This will only take a few minutes. Sir continuously to prevent the mixture from clumping and do not bring all the way to a boil. When thickened (consistency will be that of a thin pudding or custard), strain with a mesh strainer into a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool completely to room temperature.
\nWhen the milk mixture is cool, cream the butter (or shortening) and sugar together in a medium bowl until light. Add in the milk\/flour mixture and the scraped vanilla bean seeds (or vanilla extract) and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 7 minutes, until light and fluffy.<\/p>\n

\"filling\"<\/p>\n

Scrape into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip, or a large ziploc bag with the corner cut off, and set aside until ready to fill your cupcakes.<\/p>\n

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting<\/strong>
\n1\/2 cup butter, room temperature
\n1\/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
\n2-3 cups powdered sugar
\n1\/4 cup milk
\n1 tsp vanilla extract<\/p>\n

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat, with an electric mixer, until frosting is creamy, 3-5 minutes. Add additional powdered sugar as needed to achieve a thick, but not stiff, frosting that is easy to spread. Add additional milk, if necessary, to thin the frosting if it gets too thick.<\/p>\n

\"frosting\"<\/p>\n

Assembly<\/strong>
\nTake a cooled cupcake and, using a small pairing knife, cut a cone of cake (1-inch across by 1-inch deep) out of the top. Trim off the pointy end of the cone, leaving a flat circle of cake. Set aside and repeat this process for all the cupcakes.<\/p>\n

\"innards\"
\nTake the cream filling and squeeze a tablespoon or so into each cupcake cavity, filling the hole up to the top with filling.<\/p>\n

\"filling2\"\"cupcake8\"<\/p>\n

Top off with a flat circle of cake to plug the hole and keep the filling in place.
\nUsing a butter knife or a small offset spatula, frost each cupcake with a layer of chocolate buttercream frosting. Place a dollop of icing in the center of the cupcake (on top of the cut out circle of cake) and spread from the center to the sides of the cupcake.<\/p>\n

\"frosted\"
\nIf you have leftover filling, transfer it to a fresh ziploc bag and cut a very small opening in one corner. Pipe a swirly line down the center of each cupcake.
\nStore in an airtight container until ready to serve.<\/p>\n

Makes 2-dozen.<\/p>\n