These Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes are a chocoholic's dream come true! They have a soft chocolate cake, they're filled with a silky chocolate ganache and topped with aluscious chocolate fudge frosting. If that wasn't enough, they're gluten free, nut free, eggless and can easily be vegan!
Pour the 6 ounces of chocolate chips into a large heat safe bowl and set aside.
In a small saucepan set over medium high heat, bring the heavy cream to a bare simmer, whisking the entire time.Once you see it start to have tiny bubbles around the edges, it's done.
Immediately pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips and let stand for one minute. DO NOT MIX!If you mix right away your chips won't melt and your ganache will be chunky!
After one minute, whisk until combined and smooth.Let the ganache cool a little on the counter. About 15 min. After 15 min, whisk again.
After the bowl of the ganache is no longer piping hot, place the bowl in the fridge and let the ganache cool while you are making the cupcakes.
Make the Cupcakes
In a large measuring cup, measure out ½ cup of milk. Add in ½ tablespoon of the white vinegar and stir. Let sit 5-10 minutes and stir again. The milk will appear chunky; that's normal.
In a large bowl whisk together the gluten free flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powders, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt.
In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the cornstarch and water until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add in the cornstarch water mixture, the homemade buttermilk, the warm water, vegetable oil and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and combined. The batter will appear very thin and liquidy. Let it sit 10 minutes; it will start to thicken.
Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake tins ¾ way to the top. Smooth the tops with a small knife. You should have 12 regular size cupcake tins filled.
Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back at you when carefully touched or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let the cupcakes cool almost completely in the pan before trying to remove them.
Make the Frosting
In the large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat the softened butter or vegan baking stick until smooth and creamy. About 2 minutes.
With the mixer on very low speed, slowly add in the confectioners' sugar.
With the mixer on low speed still, add in the cocoa powders.
Add in the vanilla and beat until combined.
While the mixer is on, slowly add in the water a little at a time until you get the desired consistency. You may not need to use all the water.
Assemble the Cupcakes
Once the cupcakes have cooled, we are going to make the holes for the ganache filling.If you have piping bags with tips, you can use that to make the holes.If not, using a clean thumb, simply push down in the center of the cupcakes but not all the way to the bottom.
Take the ganache out of the fridge. You want it to be liquid enough to spoon into the cupcake holes. If it is too thick, microwave the bowl of ganache in 5 second increments, stirring after each time until you get the desired consistency.
Fill the holes in the center of the cupcakes with the chocolate ganache, all the way to the top.If it overflows a little that's ok because we will be frosting these.
Decorate the Cupcakes
Take the cupcakes out of the fridge. If you have piping bags, pipe the frosting on top of each cupcake.If you don’t have piping bags, put a thin layer of frosting on top of each cupcake.
If you frosted the cupcakes by hand, pop the cupcakes in the fridge for 15 minutes to let that thin layer harden. This is your crumb layer so that when you frost the tops of the cupcakes, the ganache doesn’t ooze out and get all over the place. If you have a piping bag, you don’t need the crumb layer or this step.
Immediately after finishing frosting the cupcakes, add the chocolate sprinkles so they stick to the frosting.
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Notes
Vegan: Use a dairy free gluten free flour, vegan sugar, vegan baking sticks, non dairy milk, vegan chocolate chips, vegan heavy cream and vegan sprinkles.If you can't find a vegan heavy cream, check out my FAQ section in my blog post for how to make a vegan ganache with vegan baking sticks. All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoon packed AP flour (126 grams plus 2 tablespoons) and packed cocoa powder.Storing: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container or wrapped in foil in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for 30 days. When ready to eat, let the cupcake sit on the counter, until it is room temperature and soft. If desired, warm each cupcake in the microwave for 5-10 seconds prior to eating. Be careful not to burn your mouth.Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.