With a little help from my friend Jennifer @ The Brilliant Crafty Type, I was all set with tips and secrets to making a decadent chocolate cupcake filled with ganache and topped with fluffy peanut butter frosting and sprinkled with chocolate shavings and fleur de sel!
Let me begin by telling everyone that I did cheat a little bit ..... I ended up using Gluten-Free Pantry Cake Mix Decadent Chocolate. This particular cake mix is wonderful and I have used it many many times and if I don't tell my friends that I used a cake mix they 1) couldn't tell it was gluten free 2) thought it was homemade.
Here's a little secret to making boxed mix taste like homemade baked goods:
1) Add 1/2 cup of sour cream to the mix.
2) Place a ramekin of water in the oven when baking the cupcakes or cake, this will help keep the baked goods moist.
The cupcakes can be made ahead of time as they will need some time to cool before you can pipe ganache into them. Please note that you can use a pastry bag or a plastic bag. I use a gallon sized zip lock bag and make a small cut in one of the corners, big enough for my stainless steel piping tip to fit snugly in the corner. Then I pour the cooled ganache into my piping bag careful not to let it drip everywhere. Pipe about 1/2 tablespoon into the cupcake, you'll know as it'll ooze over if you have piped too much. Not to worry though as the peanut butter frosting will over up the mess.
I also use the same idea to frost the cupcakes except I use a star piping tip instead of a fine tip. I start by going from the outside working my way to the center going in a circular motion. The chocolate shavings and fleur de sel (fancy word for flavored infused salt) were a added bonus cause I had some in the pantry. By all means they are not necessary, but fun to play with.
Peanut Butter Frosting
Directions:
1. Mix butter and peanut butter until it is light and fluffy.
2. Slowly (so don't make a powdered sugar explosion) mix in 1/2 a cup of confectioner's sugar.
3. Add 1/3 cup of milk
4. Beat in the remaining confectioner's sugar 1/2 cup at a time.
*** If the frosting is not at the consistency that you would like it to be at, add more cream or milk until it gets to a good piping consistency.
Directions:
1. Place chocolate into a bowl.
2. Heat cream in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and pour over the chocolate.
3. Whisk until smooth.
4. Allow ganache to cool before putting it into the piping bag.
Have you tried baking with gluten-free "flour" yet? I picked some up a few weeks ago but have been nervous to start using it as a baking substitute.
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