Surprisingly, I discovered the Georgetown Cupcakes recipe for chocolate ganache cupcakes during 6th period. You can imagine the excitement that ensued. After school, I stopped by Wegman's: food emporium for suburbia.
So, I have a little confession to make. I'm a major foodie. I love making food, I love awing over food, and I love savoring food (probably why I'm the slowest eater on the planet). The very idea of a soufflé excites me; I dream of the day when I can finally visit Noma. And, as any girl who has been acquainted with the idea of sweets, I love dessert.
Remember when I visited Georgetown Cupcakes for the first time on my last birthday? Well, the gleaming white counter tops and the sugar sweet scent of those freshly baked gems still vividly exist in my memory. I found myself increasingly jealous of the lofts resting above the shop- if only I could wake up on Saturday morning with the comfort of knowing breakfast was right underneath my doorstep! But thank goodness I'm not going to college anywhere near DC for I'd probably gain more than a freshman 15.
However, today, I decided to be a little bit bad. I know, how badass am I? Baking on a Friday afternoon should be illegal. Nevertheless, I took my chances. Here goes.
Starting by mixing the dry ingredients: 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, one pinch, or 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 1/4 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder.
In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. Add 8 tablespoons (or one stick) of unsalted butter, 2 large eggs, 1 1/4 teaspoons of vanilla extract (I used the Madagascar bourbon), 1 cup of whole or skim milk. Unfortunately, the white blobs are not curdled eggs, but the butter. Next time, I will be sure to microwave the butter before adding it in.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients. This is my favorite part, I love how deeply brown the batter turns!
Line your cupcake pan. I chose a very pretty sea-foam green lining, though you probably couldn't tell from the picture.
Scoop the batter into the individual cups. I used an ice cream scoop because I find it is just perfectly 2/3 of the way full.You could also use two spoons to scrape the batter in.
Gently cradle the pan into the oven. I already preheated the oven to a toasty 350 degrees. Bake for precisely 20 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cupcake. If it comes out clean, then the cupcakes are done!
Place a heat-proof glass bowl over a pot of boiling water. This creates a double boiler and ensures that the chocolate used in the ganache will not burn. Add 1/2 of heavy whipping cream and 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. I stirred the mixture until it was perfectly smooth and had the consistency of chocolate syrup.
Allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes before dipping in the ganache.
I lined a chopping board with wax paper, in the event that any ganache were to drip in the dipping process.
Dip the cupcake in the ganache face down and swirl to ensure frosting evenness.
See the difference a little ganache makes? I was out of sprinkling sugar so I compensated with a few of the semi-sweet chocolate chips used in the ganache
The recipe calls for 18 cupcakes, but being the closet batter-eater I am, I only churned out 16.
Je suis fini. Now, I have about a dozen cupcakes stowed in the fridge. I can't wait for tomorrow morning; I'll sift through the paper and imagine myself twenty miles away, amidst the busy streets of Georgetown, minus the crowds and traffic.
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If you ever have an opportunity to visit Wegman's, do! They have the most amazing dessert bar. I bought a three-tiered mousse cake and creme brulee, both of which I sampled on while the cupcakes were in the oven.
