Candy Cane Cupcakes

I'm not gonna lie... I'm kinda over pumpkin and spice.  I've made breads, cookies, and whoopie pies out of pumpkin and I'm all pumpkin'd out! So when it came time to bake cupcakes for Will Bake for Food, I decided chocolate and peppermint was the next best thing!

My original idea was to make my signature Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes, but when I started to make them I realized I didn't have an cocoa powder left.  Bummer.  So I improvised and used the chocolate I had left in my kitchen.  Which, to be honest, are a much better cupcake!  I used a dark chocolate baking square and a bar of intense mint dark chocolate.  The mint bar added a subtlety which paired nicely with the peppermint buttercream I used to top the cupcakes! And so... these cupcakes were born!

(Thanks to Kellie Sutton of Sutton Gourmet Paper for these amazing liners! They hold their color beautifully, even with a chocolate cupcake!)

JavaCupcake's Candy Cane Cupcakes
A dark chocolate mint cupcake topped with peppermint buttercream & candy canes
Makes approx 2 ½-3 dozen cupcakes

Cupcakes
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar (not packed)
½ cup canola oil
2 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla
6 oz baking chocolate 100% cacao
3.5 oz bar of Lindt Intense Mint Dark chocolate bar
2 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
½ cup boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line pan cupcake liners.
2. With an electric mixer and a paddle attachment, mix together the sugars, oil, and vanilla.
3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing between each egg.  Beat until smooth.
4. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.  Add the melted chocolate in a slow stream to the egg/sugar mixture.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix until well incorporated.
5. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda & powder and the salt.
6. On low speed, add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in thirds.  Between each addition, add ½ cup of milk. MIX ONLY UNTIL INCORPORATED. Scrape the sides of the bowl
7. Add the boiling water and fold together by hand.
8. Fill cupcake lines ½ full.
9. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 minutes.  Rotate pan 180 degrees, lower temperature of oven to 325 degrees and bake an additional 4-6 minutes.
10. Cupcakes will be done with a toothpick comes out clean.
11. Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Frosting
1 2lb bag powdered (confectioners) sugar, sifted
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons peppermint extract
¼ cup - ½ cup milk or whipping cream

1. In an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth and well blended.
2. With the mixer on low speed, add the sugar about 1 cup at a time.  Mix until well incorporated.
3. Between each addition of sugar, add milk until you get your desired consistency.
4. Add the peppermint extract, scrape the sides and beat for 4-5 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Garnish
1 box candy canes
Star tip & piping bag full of frosting

1. Unwrap the candy canes and set aside half.
2. Break half of the candy canes into ¾-1 inch pieces
3. Put the second half into a zip loc bag.  Place on a flat, hard surface and pound with the flat side of a large wooden spoon until there are no more big chunks left.  You should have a fine powder with a few small pieces left for dusting the tops of your cupcake.
4. Pipe frosting onto cupcake.
5. To garnish, sprinkle candy cane dusting onto piped frosting.  Place a candy cane piece on top.