German Chocolate Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy Anne Thornton

Prep Time:

25 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

27 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

24 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 Chocolate Cake recipe, recipe follows

Chocolate Glaze:

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon prepared coffee

Topping:

• 3 egg yolks
• 12 ounces evaporated milk
• 1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 cups packed sweetened flaked coconut, toasted (if desired)
• 1 3/4 cups toasted pecans, chopped

Directions

Special equipment: silver/foil-lined muffin cups, 1 (2-ounce) ice cream scoop and 1 (1/2-ounce) ice cream scoop

Cook's Note: Make sure all of your topping ingredients are at room temperature, except for the shredded coconut which you should keep in the refrigerator or freezer just until needed.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 regular muffin pans with muffin cups.
Use a 2-ounce ice cream scoop and portion out the Chocolate Cake batter evenly into the muffin cups. Pop the pan in the oven and bake 25 to 30 minutes, turning the pans halfway through. You'll know it's done when a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcakes comes out clean. Let the cupcakes completely cool in the pan on a rack.
For the glaze: Mix the cream, chocolate, honey and coffee in saucepan on low heat. Stir until smooth. Let it cool a bit.
For the topping: Put the egg yolks, evaporated milk, brown sugar and butter in a separate saucepan. Place it over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Continue cooking, stirring constantly until thick, 8 to 10 minutes or so.
Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, coconut and pecans. Allow to cool.
Dip the cooled cupcakes in the chocolate glaze. Place on the rack and let the glaze harden. Scoop the topping on the cupcakes with a heaping 1/2-ounce ice cream scoop.

Chocolate Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 eggs, at room temperature for 30 minutes
• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk (or 1 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice)

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together onto parchment paper. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 4 or 5 minutes. Add your eggs, 1 at a time, mixing until completely incorporated before adding each additional egg. Mix in the chocolate and vanilla, making sure to combine really well. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk, in 3 batches, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Make sure to let it mix thoroughly.