Mexican Cupcakes a Go!

Let me just start out by saying that I loooooove cupcakes!  They are a huge passion of mine and I love to treat my friends with them!  My lovely sister is getting married this summer and this past Sunday, we had a meeting of the families! The theme of the afternoon was Mexican food, so when I was asked to make some cupcakes...the possibilities were endless.  I tossed around ideas of margarita cupcakes...mexican chocolate and then I found this recipe for Cinnamon Churro Cupcakes from Love & Olive Oil. 

Cinnamon Chocolate Churro Cupcakes  

(adapted from LoveandOliveOil.com)

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup almond milk

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mexican Chocolate Pudding Filling:

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups whole milk  (use the whole milk because it will turn out to runny if you don't)

3 ounces good quality semisweet or dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 teaspoon meringue powder  (I didn't use this since I couldn't find it at the store...Instead I just whipped an egg white)

Pinch of cream of tartar

Pinch of cinnamon

1 cup chilled whipping cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Combine almond milk and vinegar and stir to combine. Whisk in sugar, oil, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix until relatively smooth. Fill cupcake liners with a scant 3 Tablespoons of batter (cups should be just under 2/3 of the way full). Bake for 20-22 minutes or until set, and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

To prepare filling, combine the cornstarch, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a larger pot filled with 1 inch of water. Slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides with a heatproof spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients. Place over gently simmering water and stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate. Continue stirring for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the pudding is smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a small bowl and cover, gently pressing a layer of plastic wrap against the surface before refrigerating (this will prevent a skin from forming). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days (ahem, good luck with that).

For frosting, whisk powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, meringue powder, cream of tartar, and cinnamon in large bowl until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled and ready to use, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Using electric mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, gradually beat chilled cream into chocolate mixture. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

With a small pairing knife cut out cones from the tops of cupcakes approximately 1 inch in diameter. Set aside but do not discard. Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of filling into each cupcake (you'll have extra pudding, so grab a spoon). Replace top and press into place (it helps to remove a bit off the base of the cone piece to help it sit more level on the filling - tasties for you). Pipe on whipped cream frosting, taking care to cover up all seams. If desired, sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon sugar prior to serving.

**Make sure to be patient when you are making the chocolate filling, it will set better if you take it slow and make sure that you allow it to thicken in the double boiler first.

**Buying a good cupcake corer will make filling the cupcakes a lot easier!  I found mine at Williams & Sonoma for about $10 and totally worth it!!

All in all, the cupcakes were a huge hit! Everyone loved them and I especially loved getting to finally use my cupcake carrier!!  This recipe made about 15 medium cupcakes.  I think that next time I will fill them a little more and get 12 cupcakes out of it!

Cinnamon Stick and Dark Chocolate piece on top...sprinkled with some cinnamon sugar!