AuthorHeather WallaceCategorycupcakes & muffinsDifficultyIntermediateHow do you make a moist chocolate cake better? By adding Mexican spices that's how! A bit of cinnamon, a little bit of ancho chili powder, and warm it up a bit with cayenne pepper...and don't forget my dulce de leche Swiss meringue buttercream! It's a killer recipe!!
I knew it was a winner when my husband ate it by the spoonful and made noises while he licked the spoon. lol
I always make myself a yummy dessert for my birthday, not only because my father in law shares the same birthday but because I like to get creative with some of my favorite recipes and see if I can elevate them. So I took my favorite chocolate cake and did just that. These babies are so good you'll want a second one...and maybe that's exactly what I did.
Preheat oven to 325°
Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
In a small saucepan add 1″ of water and bring it to a gentle simmer. Place a heat-safe bowl on top of the pot making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Add 2 ounces of chopped dark chocolate to the bowl and stir occasionally until melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Whisk in 3/4 cup of canola oil and 1 cup of sugar until smooth and then add 1 large room temperature egg.
In a separate bowl sift together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup of Hershey's Special Dark Cacao powder, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture along with 1/2 cup of brewed coffee and 1/2 cup of buttermilk; whisk until smooth. Add remaining dry ingredients, another 1/2 cup of buttermilk, and 1/2 cup of coffee and continue whisking until smooth.
Fill each cupcake mold about 2/3 full.
Bake for about 18 minutes to 21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
Let the cupcakes cool 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely by placing the cupcakes in the freezer for 20 minutes.
In a large metal mixing bowl combine 1 cup of sugar and 6 room temperature egg whites, place over simmering water.
Whisk constantly until the sugar melts and the mixture is very thin and warm about 10 minutes.
Remove bowl from heat and transfer to an electric mixer bowl and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form about 5 minutes.
Reduce speed to low and continue to beat until cool, about 15 minutes.
Cut 4 sticks of soft but cool butter into 1/2 inch pieces, beat into egg whites on low speed.
The mixture may curdle before coming together.
Slowly whip in 1/3 cup of dulce de leche until well blended.
Pipe frosting onto each cooled cupcake.
Warm 2 tablespoons of dulce de leche in the microwave for 20 seconds.
Drizzle over cupcakes and enjoy,
Keep in the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before eating...if you can wait that long.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°
Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
In a small saucepan add 1″ of water and bring it to a gentle simmer. Place a heat-safe bowl on top of the pot making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Add 2 ounces of chopped dark chocolate to the bowl and stir occasionally until melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Whisk in 3/4 cup of canola oil and 1 cup of sugar until smooth and then add 1 large room temperature egg.
In a separate bowl sift together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup of Hershey's Special Dark Cacao powder, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture along with 1/2 cup of brewed coffee and 1/2 cup of buttermilk; whisk until smooth. Add remaining dry ingredients, another 1/2 cup of buttermilk, and 1/2 cup of coffee and continue whisking until smooth.
Fill each cupcake mold about 2/3 full.
Bake for about 18 minutes to 21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
Let the cupcakes cool 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely by placing the cupcakes in the freezer for 20 minutes.
In a large metal mixing bowl combine 1 cup of sugar and 6 room temperature egg whites, place over simmering water.
Whisk constantly until the sugar melts and the mixture is very thin and warm about 10 minutes.
Remove bowl from heat and transfer to an electric mixer bowl and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form about 5 minutes.
Reduce speed to low and continue to beat until cool, about 15 minutes.
Cut 4 sticks of soft but cool butter into 1/2 inch pieces, beat into egg whites on low speed.
The mixture may curdle before coming together.
Slowly whip in 1/3 cup of dulce de leche until well blended.
Pipe frosting onto each cooled cupcake.
Warm 2 tablespoons of dulce de leche in the microwave for 20 seconds.
Drizzle over cupcakes and enjoy,
Keep in the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before eating...if you can wait that long.
Great Recipe. I followed it exactly as written. The cake was moist and the icing divine. The only draw back is the amount of spice. I could not taste the ancho chill or feel the burn from the cayenne pepper.
How much more can be added to amp up the those spices
Hi Daryl, I’m so glad you liked the recipe! To amp up the spices more you could increase the ancho chili to 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon and the cayenne pepper perhaps add in another 1/8 teaspoon and see if it is to your liking. Increasing in small measurements with spices especially ones that can overtake the other flavors is what I like to do to find my favorite flavors. I tend to do smaller adjustments for hot spices (hello acid reflux lol). Happy baking!