These are no ordinary chocolate cupcakes! These Spicy Little Devil's Food Cupcakes turn up the heat with a cinnamon & cayenne ganache filling, and are topped with devilish decor perfect for any Halloween party!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword devil's food cupcakes
Prep Time 1 hourhour
Cook Time 18 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour18 minutesminutes
Servings 30cupcakes
Calories 422kcal
Author Erica
Ingredients
Devil's Food Cupcakes
1 ¾cupsall-purpose flour
¾cupunsweetened cocoa powder
1 ¼teaspoonsbaking soda
1teaspoonbaking powder
1teaspoonkosher salt
¾cupunsalted buttersoftened
1cupdark brown sugarpacked
1cupgranulated sugar
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
3large eggsroom temperature
1cupbuttermilkroom temperature
½cupblack coffeecool
Spicy Cayenne Chocolate Ganache
1pounddark chocolatefinely chopped
2cupsheavy whipping cream
2tablespoonsunsalted buttersoftened
2teaspoonscinnamon
1teaspooncayenne pepper
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Chocolate Fudge Icing
1cupdark chocolateor unsweetened cocoa powder
3cupspowdered sugar
¾cupunsalted buttersoftened
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
⅓cupheavy whipping cream
Pinch of salt
Instructions
Devil's Food Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard cupcake pans with about 30 liners and set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter, sugars, and vanilla on medium-high speed 2-3 minutes, until light in color and fluffy. Lower speed to medium and add eggs one at a time, being sure to blend fully before adding the next one.
Combine buttermilk and coffee in a measuring cup.
Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk-coffee blend, beginning and ending with flour, in ⅓-1/2 cup intervals, mixing until just incorporated between additions. Scrape bowl and paddle as necessary.
Divide the batter evenly between cupcake liners, filling each only ⅔ of the way. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.
Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool in the pans for about 5 minutes before removing to cooling racks.
Spicy Cayenne Chocolate Ganache
Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Place the cream in a microwave-safe cup and heat in 30-second intervals for 1½-2 minutes until cream is hot. Pour cream over chopped chocolate and allow to sit, undisturbed, for 5 minutes.
Whisk the cream and chocolate together from the center of the bowl in small circular motions until fully combined. Add butter, cinnamon, cayenne, and vanilla, and whisk until fully blended. Allow to cool at least one hour before filling cupcakes.
When ready to fill, cut a ¾-1 inch hold in the center of each cupcake about halfway down. Spoon ganache into a zipper or pastry bag and fill cupcakes until ganache just peeks over the top.
Chocolate Fudge Icing
Sift cocoa powder and sugar together in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix on medium to combine powders, then add butter and vanilla. Whip until incorporated, then increase speed to high for 4-5 minutes until icing has increased in volume and is lightened a bit.
Add whipping cream and salt on low speed until incorporated, then whip on high for another 2-3 minutes until fluffy.
Spoon icing into pastry bag fitted with your favorite cupcake tip and swirl away!
Notes
To garnish the cupcakes with the horns and tails, I used white fondant that I dyed red, and shaped tiny pieces into the shapes I needed. I also sprinkled them all with a little red sugar.