Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

​Inspired by...Christmas and Chocolate Lovers

My extended family members are very traditional eaters.  While I'm always wanting to try out new recipes, my mother is forever reminding me that my audience for holidays likes to stick to familiar desserts.  As much as I'd love to tell her she's wrong (as daughters often do), unfortunately she's got a point.  So for Christmas this year, I wanted to make something chocolate that wasn't too off the beaten path from the brownies, chocolate chip cookies, or apple pies that my family loves.  These Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes have a traditional chocolate cake base and a lightly flavored peppermint vanilla buttercream frosting.  They were the perfect combination of traditional and new (a new treat for them and a new frosting recipe for me!).

The chocolate cake recipe that I used is my "go-to" for chocolate cakes.  It's Paula Deen's recipe and I'm so glad to be writing it out for my own record.  Like all of my favorite recipes that I've found on the internet, I'm always afraid that one day I'll go to open the link, and it will have disappeared forever.  I don't know what I would do without this recipe, especially!  The cake is so fluffy, moist and flavorful.  And somehow, I have never messed it up (knock on wood!).  It's also easy to modify.  I've added espresso powder to add extra richness.  For this recipe, you could easily add a touch of peppermint extract too.  And I've cut the recipe down to a third or two thirds before without incident.  As much as I love trying out new recipes, I don't know that I will ever stray far from this chocolate cake!

Recipe​  ​(Makes approximately 30 cupcakes)
Chocolate cake recipe slightly adapted from: Paula Deen at Food Network
​Frosting recipe and decoration inspiration adapted from: Sally's Baking Addiction ​
Cupcakes
Ingredients

• ​​2 1/4 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake pans.​
2. In a large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. ​In a small bowl or a large measuring cup, mix together the oil, coffee, and eggs until lightly combined.
4. Add wet ingredients slowly to the dry ingredients with the mixer on.  Beat until just incorporated.
5. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla.
6. Scoop into cupcake pans.  These cupcakes rise a lot, so I fill the cupcake about 2/3 of the way.
7. Bake for 16-18 minutes until toothpick  inserted in the center comes out clean.

Frosting
​Ingredients

• ​​2 cups (4 sticks) butter, at room temperature​
• 7-8 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions

1. ​Beat butter until smooth and creamy.
2. Add heavy cream and extracts and beat well.
3. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, incorporating after each addition.

Decorations

• ​Pipe frosting onto cupcakes.
• Put several unwrapped candy canes (~8-10) in a sealed plastic bag.  Crush candy canes with a rolling pin or the handle of a ​​kitchen utensil (my makeshift rolling pin for this purpose!).
• Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top of frosting.

Enjoy!​​

 On Christmas night, my mom told me that these cupcakes reminded her of a cake that her family used to eat when she was a child.  Granted, it was a packaged, grocery store cake, but it was a great compliment!  Food can definitely bring you back and make you reminisce.  I know her family didn't get the chance to indulge in too many luxuries when she was a kid, so the fact that these cupcakes brought back such a distant and happy memory was probably the best compliment I could ever get!