Devil's Food Cupcakes W/chocolate Ganache Frosting & Centers

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 13 ounces heavy cream
• 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (i use a bag of chocolate chips)
• 1/3 cup cocoa (preferably, but not absolutely, valrhona or cocoa barry extract. supermarket cheap stuff works also)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise (i use fat free and it works fine)
• 2 cups sifted cake flour (i rarely ever sift as i find that cake flour seems to always measure right. i know.. i should)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Recipe

• 1 ganache:.
• 2 in a sauce pan bring your cream to a light boil.
• 3 then pour in the chocolate and start stirring immediately.
• 4 keep going until you have a smooth mixture.
• 5 at first this will seem like it's not working as the chocolate hasn't begun to mix with the cream.
• 6 then, in second, it will start to form. just give it time.
• 7 remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• 8 don't be tempted to taste throughout the cooling process as you're not supposed to touch the ganache until it sets.
• 9 put ganache in fridge until you're ready to use.
• 10 if you're making these in a hurry, start making the batter.
• 11 if not, make the batter when you're ready to start baking your cupcakes.
• 12 cupcakes:.
• 13 pre-heat oven to 375ºf.
• 14 line cupcake tray with cupcake papers
• 15 whisk together water and cocoa.
• 16 set aside and let completely cool. (you can put this in the fridge too).
• 17 when cocoa mixture is cool, whisk in the mayonnaise and vanilla until smooth.
• 18 meanwhile, combine dry ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low until combined.
• 19 once mixed, increase speed to medium and beat in cocoa mixture for one minute.
• 20 the batter is supposed to be thin, but i've seen it thin/medium.
• 21 poor batter into a measuring cup with a spout and fill each cupcake 1/4 the way full.
• 22 now take out your ganache and with a spoon make a small ganache ball and set one ball in the center of each cupcake.
• 23 continue to fill each cupcake until it's 3/4 the way full to prevent spilling batter.
• 24 check to make sure your oven is at 375º and bake for 15-20 minutes until cupcakes are set.
• 25 poke with a toothpick to confirm they are done.
• 26 the toothpick should slide out smoothly without any cake on it.
• 27 once completely cooled (make sure you cool the cupcakes or your ganache will melt), frost with the rest of your ganache frosting.
• 28 you should have extra ganache left over - about a cup.