Slow Burn Sally: Sriracha chocolate cupcakes
7 Jun
My first reworked recipe for my Epic Summer Challenge, voted upon by readers, Facebook fans and taste testers, is Sriracha Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Chocolate Ganache. This is one of my most viewed posts, and in my mind, one of my least successful cupcakes. So you have no idea how glad I am to rework it.
Better yet, Jennifer M. commented on the original post a week or so ago with a question about the amount of sriracha–I call for the amount “to taste,” but she doesn’t like hot stuff, so she needed guidance. I stopped her right in her tracks and said “Give me 30 minutes and let me REWRITE THE RECIPE!” And so I did, and then it was voted the first Rework of the summer, and now I KNOW the recipe I sent her is going to be slamming. (And hopefully Jennifer comes back and does a guest post for me, wink, wink).
So, what did I change? EVERYTHING. And with good reason.
The original chocolate cake was too dry, you couldn’t quite pick up the sriracha, and the frosting was so-so. No good. This recipe, which I’m affectionately calling Slow Burn Sally, has a moist, rich, chocolatey cake, a sriracha chocolate truffle filling, and my signature chocolate buttercream. And my, how it works.
To amp up the heat, I also used my Hot Chili flavoring from LorAnn Oils, which is a product used in candymaking and baking. I like its effect on the cake, but the recipe can be successfully made without it.
The show stopper is the sriracha chocolate truffle. You get the bold flavor of sriracha, which lends a touch of savory richness to this cake, and then you get a nice sloooooooow burn as you continue eating. To keep the cupcake balanced, I didn’t alter my chocolate buttercream with any additional flavoring, and that really helps keep this in check.
I loved watching Ray eat this cupcake last night. Amid the “Wows!” and eyes bugging out and big smiles, he told me this is one of my best yet. That makes me excited for the other recipes I’m going to rework this summer.
And so, now I will replace the link in the recipe index so that THIS recipe comes up, not the original. I’ll also put a note and link in the original post, but I won’t delete it, since I have seen it pinned on Pinterest A LOT.
What should my next reworked cupcake be? Check out my original post and leave me a comment, drop a note on Facebook, send me an email or tell me in person! The next reworked cupcake will be revealed on June 21.
Ingredients
Directions
Work on the Sriracha 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 and butter to a boil. Take off the heat and pour over the chocolate, then add the sriracha.
Stir until the chocolate melts and isn't lumpy. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes at room temperature, then chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes (it shouldn't be rock hard, but it also shouldn't be soupy...look for the consistency of buttercream).
Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and position the racks toward the middle. Line cupcake pans with cupcake papers.
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, instant espresso and whisk together. Add the 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 15-20 minutes at room temperature, whisking occasionally to release more heat
In your stand mixer, whip together the eggs and milk.
Once the cocoa mixture has cooled some, slowly add a little bit of it to temper the eggs, whisking constantly. Continue to slowly add the remaining mixture, whisking to combine. If you don't want to whisk by hand, and have a stand mixer, then set the speed on low and slowly pour the cocoa mixture in.
Add the dry ingredients in 3-4 stages, mixing well to combine. Add the vanilla extract and chili flavoring (if using) and mix well.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each about halfway full. Bake for about 18-22 minutes. When done, transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 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.
To make the buttercream, beat the butter until light and fluffy.
Add 1 cup of sugar, beating until combined. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla.
Finally, add the remaining sugar gradually and heavy cream (as needed) and whip until light and fluffy.
Place the buttercream in a piping bag and pipe the frosting onto your filled cupcakes.
I cannot wait to complete; yep I said complete, this recipe on Sunday. I started it on Monday of this week after a very long work day hoping I would have enough time before having to succumb to sleep. Unfortunately with distractions from my boyfriend and Game of Thrones, that did not happen. I saved all of the mixed, dry ingredients and went to bed frustrated with myself. Nothing is getting in my way from completing this on Sunday! ^_^
Whoo! You can do it! And let me tell you, I am SUPER pleased with this recipe. The truffle filling blows my mind. I can’t wait to hear how your baking session goes—good luck!!!
First cupcake friday in over 12 weeks and this puppy was delicious! As always the cake and frosting is perfect. Moisture level and texture is amazing but the real star is that chocolate center. WTF!!! You can really taste the flavor of the Sriracha. Hints of garlic which you would think would be weird but I really enjoyed.
Well Done!
Yay! So glad you like it. You picked the right week to come back to the office