Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese frosting and a hidden surprise.

This is my last Birthday for the month! phew, the best thing about birthday's is that it's a great excuse to get in the kitchen and bake something, though in the last couple of weeks I think my sweet tooth has finally been satiated, I didn't think that was possible. Plus I ended up not making myself a cake yesterday just because we still had cake left over from my husbands and Tess's b-day.
I made these cupcakes for a co-worker and friend at work who's special numbered birthday is tomorrow, which I won't dime out her age (pssst its the big 30!) So I will just go and say Happy Birthday to Melissa.

She didn't want anything fancy flavor wise and had requested something made with chocolate but not all chocolate and there were certain flavors she wasn't a big fan of, so the vanilla frosting was added.  But there is some hidden surprises inside some of the cupcakes.  About a dozen cupcakes have a chocolate ganache filling, and others have a homemade cherry filling left over from the black forest cake.

Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frostings and hidden surprises.
Adapted from Better homes and Garden Special Interest Publication "Cupcakes"
Yields 24 Cupcakes and 24 mini Cupcakes

Ingredients
3/4 Cup Butter
3 Eggs
2 Cups All purpose  Flour
3/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Cups Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 1/2 Cups Almond Milk

Directions
preheat oven to 350 degrees
Let the butter and eggs stand at room temp for at least 30-45 minutes. In the meantime line 24 muffin tins with cupcakes liners, and a 24 mini muffin tin with 24 mini cupcake liners.
In a medium bowl combine together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt set aside.
In a large mixing bowl beat butter with a electric mixer on high for 30 seconds, add your sugar a little at a time until mixed into the butter. scrape the sides of the bowl and beat for another 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until fully mixed into the batter.  Add your vanilla and alternately add your flour mixture and milk to the batter, beating on low to medium speed until fully combined.
Spoon batter into your muffin liners, filling about half way to 2/3 full.
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on a wire rack, while cooling make your ganche and cream cheese frosting.

Ganache

Ingredients 
1 Cup whipping cream
12 ounces semisweet chocolate

Directions
In a medium saucepan bring whipping cream to a boil over medium high heat, once it has started to boil remove from heat and add your chocolate, do not stir. Let the chocolate sit in the cream for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes stir until smooth. cool for another 15-20 minutes. before adding it into a pipping bag.

Cream Cheese Frosting


Ingredients
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 1/2 Cups powdered sugar


Directions
Let the cream cheese and butter sit at room temp for at least 45 minutes. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until fluffy. Gradually add your powdered sugar until full combined. place in the fridge until ready to pipe or frost cupcakes.

*To fill your cupcakes with the ganche use a pipping tip by itself to create a small hole/crater inside the cupcake once you have a hole pipe some ganche inside or add whatever surprise you want :)