I’ve mentioned before, but Ray and I are HUGE fans of Jonathan Coulton, and belong to the wonderful group of geektastic Sea Monkeys (though we’re really more like Land Ponies right now). And because we got to see John Roderick perform on the first JoCoCruise Crazy, we’re also big fans of him and his amazing music (and his podcast with Merlin Mann–Roderick on the Line–is bizarrely fantastic in so many ways … and we’re listening to the latest podcast right now).
So! On June 9, JoCo and Roderick performed at World Cafe Live, and a bunch of fans got together … and of course I baked cupcakes! Luckily for me, JoCo and the crew were taking questions the day before while driving to the venue and they let me know that their favorite cupcake flavor was chocolate. Simple, yes, but I knew I could make them craaaaazy!
Now, can I tell you how awesome it was to have Jonathan Coulton, members of his band, Scarface Drew AND John Roderick enjoy my cupcakes? It was so cool! On top of that, my lovely bunch of Sea Monkeys loved their tasty treats, too!
Check out the video below, shot by Sea Monkey Rob. It’s of one of my FAVORITE–albeit very, emotional–songs by Roderick, and then read the recipe for my crazy Chocoholic Cupcakes!
Ingredients
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and position the racks toward the center. Line cupcake pans with papers.
Work on the Chocolate Truffle Filling first so it has time to chill (at least 30 minutes). Measure the chocolate into a heat-safe bowl. Bring the heavy cream butter to a boil. Take off the heat and pour over the chocolate, letting it sit for 5-10 minutes. Stir to combine, then chill.
For the cupcakes, combine flour, baking soda, salt and sugar, whisking to blend; set aside.
In a heavy-bottomed, medium pan, melt the butter on medium-high heat. Once melted, add the coffee and whisk together. Add the espresso powder and cocoa--gradually--whisking to combine. The mixture should come to a simmer, but not a boil. You want it to thicken.
Once thickened, cool the cocoa mixture for about 10-15 minutes (the freezer is handy here).
In your stand mixer, whip together the eggs and buttermilk. Add the vanilla.
Once the cocoa mixture has cooled, slowly add a little bit of the mixture to temper the eggs, whisking constantly. Add the remaining mixture, whisking to combine (this might best be done by taking the bowl off the stand mixer and whisking by hand, then putting it back on to the mixer for the dry ingredients).
Add the dry ingredients in 3-4 stages, mixing well to combine.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about halfway full. Bake for about 20-22 minutes. When done, transfer tins to wire racks to cool 5 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.
Core the cupcakes, fill a piping bag with the filling and pipe into each cupcake.
For the frosting, you can make it 2 different ways: per Smitten Kitchen (who I've adapted this recipe from), you can put all the frosting ingredients into a food processor and process to combine. Or, if you prefer, you can use a stand mixer. To do so, whip the butter until light and fluffy. Add 1 cup of confectioners sugar and mix to combine. Add the slightly cooled chocolate, followed by the vanilla, cream and remaining sugar.
Pipe the chocolate fudge frosting on top of the cupcakes and feed them to some indie rockstars and Sea Monkeys.
https://cupcakefridayproject.com/2012/07/chocoholic-cupcakes-for-joco-john-roderick-and-a-merry-band-of-sea-monkeys/“The Commander Thinks Aloud” by John Roderick video courtesy of Rob Hofford, fellow Sea Monkey extraordinaire.
July 7, 2012 at 7:58 pm
Hello Mel. I love reading your posts and seeing all of your latest creations. Hope all is well with you and your nano-bakery.
July 13, 2012 at 9:56 am
Thanks Charlee! I’m chugging along, trying to figure out the next step. Ya know, if I won the lottery, that would make this A LOT easier (but that also means I need to PLAY the lottery :P)