Life by Chocolate (Pioneer Woman)

"... Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." - Mrs Gump from the Forrest Gump movie (1994)

I like my life to be a box of chocolates!
A sweet life with a hint of bitterness... 
A smooth life with hidden surprises...
A satisfied life with cravings and excitements...

I can't imagine how my life will be without any chocolate... 

Being chocoholic, I was deeply attracted to the name of this dessert when I first saw this blog post by The Pionner Woman. I told myself that I must bake these mini chocolate cakes... 

Glad that I made these beautiful indulgences! Now, I shall let my pictures speak for themselves...

I like to fill my life with lots of chocolates!

Please see my previous post for the steps of making this super-easy cake batter.

We ate lots of Reese when we were at America!

Cherry + chocolate are great combination too!

Love baking these baby cakes!

Glossy chocolate ganache? Yes, please!

Coating the chocolate cake with chocolate ganache

Life is so fabulous with these! Isn't it?

Can't resist anymore... Gotta eat this!

Here's the recipe from Pioneer Woman
(with my modification in blue)

Cupcakes
2 cups sugar
(reduced to 150g for half of the recipe)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 whole eggs
1 tsp baking soda
(replace with baking powder)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 sticks butter (used 100g of butter for half of the recipe)
4 tbsp (heaping) cocoa powder (used 20g for half of the recipe)
1 cup boiling water
18 whole Hershey's Kisses, Unwrapped*
canned pitted cherries, optional*
 
Note: This cake base is exactly the same of the devil dog's one.

*Using half amount of the cupcake recipe, I used 7 Hershey's Kisses, 7 Reese miniature chocolate and 10 pitted cherries to make 24 mini cupcakes.

Ganache
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
(I used 120g Callebaut chocolate with 70% cocoa)
1 cup heavy cream
6 tbsp corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F (or 160°C fan forced). Spray 18 muffin cups (or 24 mini cups for half amount) with baking spray.

To make the cake batter, combine and sift flour, sugar, and salt (and baking powder). Set aside.

In a separate container, combine buttermilk, eggs, baking soda (I didn't add this) and vanilla. Stir to combine and set aside.

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and stir to combine. Add boiling water, allow to bubble for a few seconds, then turn off heat.

Pour chocolate mixture over flour mixture. Stir a few times to cool the chocolate. Pour buttermilk mixture over the top and stir to combine.

Pour 1/4 cup cake batter into each muffin cup (or 1 tsp of batter for each mini muffin). Lightly set one kiss or 3 canned, pitted cherries (or one kiss, one miniature Reese or one cherry for each mini cake) in the middle of each cupcake; do not press down. 

For my mini cakes, I have topped up the muffin cups with more batter

Bake for 20 mins. Allow to cool for 5 mins in the pan, then remove cupcakes and allow to cool on a baking rack.

To make the ganache, heat cream and corn syrup over medium heat. Place chocolate in a bowl. Add vanilla to cream mixture, then pour cream mixture over the top of the chopped chocolate. Whisk together until melted, smooth, and glossy.

Dunk cupcakes in ganache. Allow to cool and set before serving.

Note: Half amount of the ganache can coat 16 of these mini cupcakes.

Happy Baking
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