Dreamy Creamy Filled Cupcakes

Mmmmmm.  I don’t know about you, but a cupcake is just one of those foods that has the power to make my day better, no matter what.  Add a cream center and by god, I’m set for the week.  These cupcakes are sinfully delicious!  I made them with a buttercream filling and icing.  I think the next time I’ll try a chocolate ganache on top instead just for kicks (think hostess cupcakes).  Being the caffeine chicken that I am though (too much caffeine and I’m up thinking about cupcakes all night instead of sleeping), I just couldn’t bring myself to put that much chocolaty goodness into one place. That doesn’t mean you can’t though!

Ok, here’s what you’ll need to satisfy the craving:

For the Cupcakes:

2 Cups of White Sugar
1 3/4 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1 Cup of Milk
1/2 Cup Oil (I use Canola)
2 tsp of Vanilla Extract
1 Cup of Boiling Water

For the Filling:

1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Butter, Softened
2 Cups of Confectioners Sugar
1 Pinch of Salt
3 Tbsp Milk
1 tsp Almond Extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease up two 12 holed cupcake pans (or use cupcake papers if you have them).  In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add in the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.    Mix until well combined.  Stir in the boiling water by hand.  Pour into cupcake pans and cook in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let them cool completely.  Here’s what you should have at this point:

Don’t they look delicious already?!  At this point, refrain from stuffing them all in your mouth; it will get even better, I promise!  Alright, let’s make the filling.

Beat your softened butter with a mixer until smooth.  Add in the confectioners sugar and a pinch of salt.  Stir until mixed up.  Gradually add in your milk and almond extract.  Beat your mixture of frosty delight until light and fluffy. And now you are ready to fill your cupcakes.

In order to fill ’em up, you’ll want to take a sharp paring knife and cut a section out of the middle of your cupcake.  I cut a piece out that sort of resembled a sugar cone in shape;  wide at the top and ending in a point at the bottom.  Save the piece of cupcake to put back on when once you fill it.  Now at this point I scraped the side of the inner cupcake to make it less of a point and more of a well for frosting (more frosting is better after all, right?).  Next you’ll want to fill your cupcake up with frosting.  Take your finished mixture and put it in a pastry bag with a medium sized tip.  If you don’t have a pasty bag, simply grab a zip lock, clip off a small triangle of one of the bottom corners and use that.  Fill your pastry bag and squeeze a generous portion of frosting into your cupcake.  Here’s what you should have at this point:

Once you’re filling is in, you’ll take the top piece you saved and stick it back into the cupcake (check out the cupcake in the back of the picture above).  And now you’re ready to frost!  While I used a butter cream frosting recipe, I personally think a ganache would be killer on these.   Do whatever suits your fancy though and let me know how they turned out.  I’d love to see!  Here are my finished ones.  My mouth is watering just looking at the picture.