Chocolate Chipotle Cupcakes with Chili Chocolate Ganache and Cinnamon Ice Cream

Woo! Fire and ice baby. These cupcakes pack a punch. About two years ago I first visited Bakerella's blog. I saw this post for cupcakes using chipotles and a chocolate chili bar for the ganache. I was intrigued and wanted to try it. Time passed and I never found a chance to make them. Several weeks ago when I decided to have a little Mexican party for my birthday, I knew I was finally going to get to try these out.

If you like chipotles and little bit of heat, you'll enjoy these cupcakes. The cake itself is really moist and the toppings just take it up another notch. To balance out the heat, I served it with Cinnamon Honey Ice Cream. YUM!

For the cupcakes:
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4 cup boiling water
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3 tsp chipotle powder*
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
4 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 Tbsp canned chipotles in adobe sauce, pureed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with baking cups (36). Puree canned chipotles and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, mix boiling water and cocoa until the cocoa is dissolved (it will be thick). Set aside.

In another bowl, mix the rest of the dry ingredients together and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, mix sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, incorporating after each addition. Add buttermilk and vanilla and mix well. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients in three additions, alternating with chocolate mixture in two additions, ending with flour mixture. Beat until combined with each addition. Add pureed chipotles and beat until combined.

Scoop batter into prepared cupcake tins and bake for 13-15 minutes. Cool completely.

*If you cannot find chipotle powder, just use dried chipotles and pulverize them either with a mortar and pestal or a spice blender. It takes about 2 for this recipe.


Chili Chocolate Ganache:
3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
3 oz. chocolate with chili pepper
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Combine chocolates in a bowl. Heat cream and sugar until it just begins to bubble. Pour over chocolate and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Stir until milk and chocolate are completely incorporated and they are silky and smooth.

Let cool.

Additional ingredients:
Cinnamon Ice Cream -store bought or homemade
Dulce de Leche, warmed and slightly thinned with milk

To assemble cupcakes, first remove wrapper from cupcake. Cut cupcake in half and place a small scoop of ice cream on the bottom half. Replace the top half and put another small scoop of ice cream on top of that. Drizzle with chili chocolate ganache and dulce de leche. Garnish with chocolate shavings, if desired.

SOURCE:Adapted from Bakerella

Linked to...
It's A Keeper Thursday @ It's A Keeper
Recipe Swap Thursday @ Prairie Story