Ingredients

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
• 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup 100% Edel-Kakao extra brut chocolate cocoa powder (or the darkest cocoa powder you can find)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream
Vanilla Buttercream
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 Tbsp cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 lbs powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream infused/steeped with vanilla beans
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
Raspberry Curd
• Recipe can be found HERE
Dark Chocolate
• Cut dark chocolate into chunks to top each cupcake.

Instructions

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line cupcake pans with liners.
2. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add the heavy cream, brewed coffee and vanilla extract. Heat until just barely simmering. Remove from heat and allow to cool as you prep the other ingredients.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In another medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream and eggs.
5. Slowly pour the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the egg/sour cream mixture and whisk until smooth. NOTE: DO THIS SLOW! You don’t want to cook the eggs, so start pouring a very small amount of the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture… DO NOT DUMP IT IN ALL AT ONCE.
6. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. In three parts, add the chocolate mixture to the flour. Whisk until just combined and smooth after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated. Finally, whisk batter about 20 strokes.
7. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake 17-19 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool in pans for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Vanilla Buttercream
9. Cream together the butter and cream cheese.
10. While that is creaming, steep your heavy cream with 1 vanilla bean. To steep: Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds and add to the cream. Whisk. Bring the bean/cream to a simmer, remove from heat and cool slightly. Remove the pod.
11. Add the sugar, one cup at a time, to the butter/cream cheese. Mix on high until smooth.
12. Add the vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.
13. Add 1/4-1/2 cup vanilla cream until you get the desired consistency you desire. Beat on high for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
14. Mix in the pinch of salt.
Assembly
15. Core the center of each cupcake using an apple corer.
16. Spoon in raspberry curd into each opening.
17. Pipe frosting using a Wilton 1M tip onto each cupcake.
18. Top each cupcake with a chunk of dark chocolate.