These whipped chocolate ganache cupcakes are rich, moist, and filled with a silky chocolate centre, then topped with light, whipped ganache frosting. Perfect for celebrations or whenever you’re craving an indulgent homemade chocolate treat.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls (heatproof large and medium)
- Whisk or electric hand mixer
- Spatula
- Sieve
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cupcake trays (2 standard 12-hole trays)
- Cupcake liners
- Saucepan or microwave-safe bowl
- Wire cooling rack
- Knife or cupcake corer
- Piping bag and nozzle (optional, for frosting)
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 5 eggs
- 1 ¾ cups (438ml) white granulated sugar
- 1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil (sunflower)
- 1 ½ cups (375ml) cocoa powder
- 1 ¾ cups (438ml) boiling water
- 2 cups (500ml) cake flour
- 20 ml baking powder
- 10 ml vanilla essence
- ½ tsp salt
Chocolate Ganache
- 250 ml fresh cream
- 500 g milk chocolate
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease two 12-hole cupcake trays and line with cupcake liners.
- Whisk eggs and sugar in a large bowl until pale, thick, and fluffy.
- Add vanilla essence and oil. Mix until fully combined.
- Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold gently into the wet mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Dissolve cocoa powder in boiling water. Add gradually to the batter, folding gently until smooth and glossy.
- Divide batter evenly into cupcake liners, filling each ¾ full.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Cool in the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before filling and frosting.
Milk Chocolate Ganache
- Place finely chopped milk chocolate in a large heatproof bowl.
- Heat cream until hot but not boiling. Pour over chocolate and let sit for 2–3 minutes.
- Stir slowly from the centre outwards until completely smooth and glossy.
- Divide ganache into two portions — ⅓ for filling, ⅔ for frosting.
- Filling: Chill the smaller portion for 30–45 minutes until thickened but soft.
- Frosting: Chill the larger portion for about an 1 hour until firm (freezer works faster), then whip with an electric mixer for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Assemble
- Core each cooled cupcake and fill with the thickened ganache.
- Pipe or spread whipped ganache on top of each cupcake.
- Serve at room temperature.
Notes
- For a moist texture: Using oil instead of butter helps keep the cake soft for longer, while hot water enhances the chocolate flavor and creates a tender crumb.
- Don’t overmix: Gently fold the dry ingredients into the batter to keep the cake light and fluffy. Overmixing develops gluten and makes the crumb dense and tough.
- Check doneness: Ovens vary, so start checking at 12-15 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Ganache consistency:
- For filling: it should be thick but still soft and spoonable
- For whipping: it must be fully chilled and firm
- Cupcakes must be completely cool before filling and frosting: Even slight warmth will melt the ganache and affect the final texture.
- Freezer shortcut: The frosting ganache can go in the freezer for about 30–40 minutes instead of the fridge for 60 minutes if you're short on time. Check it every 15 minutes, you want firm, not frozen solid.