National Cupcake Day; Hot Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Cupcakes

Tomorrow, December 15^th, is National Cupcake Day!!! That has to be the best food holiday ever! This is the one time I wished I lived in a major city, so I could visit all the amazing cupcake stores in one day! Instead, I will celebrate with myself and force my boyfriend to eat cupcakes with me; it shouldn’t be too hard.

I am celebrating National Cupcake Day with Hot Chocolate Peppermint Mousse filled cupcakes with White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

Hot Chocolate Peppermint Mousse filled cupcakes with White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I am bursting at the seams to make dozens and dozens of holiday cupcakes: so many flavors, so many combinations.  Last weekend, I was playing around with flavored whipped creams, so I decided to create a cupcake based around chocolate and peppermint.

I started with my go-to quick and easy chocolate cupcake. I love homemade cupcakes, but sometimes it’s just easier to grab a box, add a few ingredients and boom, you’re done. The recipe for my favorite chocolate cupcake comes from The Cake Mix Doctor. I actually have both of Anne’s books, and I love them; this one comes from her second book.

My favorite chocolate cupcakes!

Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes
Recipe makes 26-28 cupcakes

1 Package chocolate cake mix (I use Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge)

1 C Reduced-fat sour cream

3/4 C Water

1/2 C Vegetable oil

1 tsp Pure vanilla extract

3 Large eggs

• Mix all ingredients together until well incorporated.
• Divide batter among lined cupcake pans filling 1/2-2/3 full. Bake the cupcakes at 350° F for 12 minutes. Check the centers and bake for another 2-3 minutes. The tops will crust over, but will soften once cooled.
• Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Next, I whipped up a batch of hot-chocolate peppermint whipped cream and put it in the fridge for an hour so it turns into mousse and I use it as filling for my cupcakes.

Hot Chocolate Peppermint Whipped Cream

I contemplated which frosting to go with for a while. I wanted the filling to be the main focus of the cupcake, so I didn’t want to go with a really sweet frosting. I decided to go with a white chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream. Swiss meringue is becoming a favorite of mine. The extra time it takes to make is so worth it. I did a quick Google search and landed on the Baker’s Royal blog. The photography on this site is the envy of my eye.

For a more detailed post about how to make Swiss Meringue buttercream, please visit my original post. Remember to use all grease-proof materials. This was the first time I have added melted chocolate into a SMB, it’s important to make sure it is completely cooled before adding it in.

White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Makes enough to generously frost 12 cupcakes

3 oz White chocolate, melted

2 tbsp Heavy cream

3 Large egg whites

3/4 C Sugar

1 Stick unsalted butter

1/4 tsp Salt

• Use a heat-proof bowl to melt white chocolate and heavy cream over a pot of simmering water, stirring constantly. Once melted, let cool to room temperature
• Temper egg whites and sugar in a heat-proof bowl over a pot of water on medium heat. You need just enough water to cover the bottom of the pot. Heating the mixture to 140°F. Make sure to stir constantly to avoid cooking the egg whites.
• Using a wire whisk on your stand mixer, beat on medium high for 8-10 minutes until the egg whites form soft peaks
• Add butter 1 tbsp at a time, ensuring each addition is well mixed. Add salt and continue to mix.
• Lastly, add cooled white chocolate and continue to beat until fluffy

Topping

Andes peppermint squares

• Crush Andes mints inside a plastic bag, using a rolling-pin or something heavy to break pieces a part.

Chocolate Ganache

4 oz Semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 tbsp Heavy cream

• Use a heat-proof bowl to melt chocolate and heavy cream over a pot of simmering water, stirring constantly. Once melted, let cool to room temperature

To assemble the cupcake, put the chocolate mousse in a piping bag with a large tip; I used a Wilton 1M tip. While holding the tip in place, push into the center of your cupcake, squeeze the bag and lift slowly allowing the mousse to fill the center of the cupcake.

Fill cupcakes with mousse

Once all of your cupcakes are filled, prepare your frosting. As a side note, you will want to keep your cupcakes refrigerated after you fill them, so if you are serving them the next day, put them in the refrigerator overnight and allow them to come to room temperature before serving, as your frosting will harden once refrigerated.

Prepare your frosting, using a large piping bag with a large tip of your choice. Fill your bag and frost each cupcake.

Piping cupcakes is one of my favorite things to do!

Top with chocolate ganache and pieces of Andres peppermint chocolates.

These might be my new favorite holiday flavored cupcake. The chocolate cupcake, peppermint whipped cream and white chocolate frosting make every bite a party in your mouth!