Mocha German Chocolate Cupcakes

Yes, we’ve been down the Sweet German Chocolate road before- but never in the form of cupcakes, and never with a brilliantly caffeinated twist. (You should be nodding right now, in a sort of mesmerized stupor, thinking “yes, it all makes sense- why didn’t I think of adding espresso to German chocolate cake before this moment in my life?”. It’s okay. It’s my job to think of these things for you.)

So we all know that cupcakes are important in the dessert world today- slap any kind of batter into a cupcake liner and pile any kind of topping over said baked baby cake, and the crowds will swoon. But if you pile the gooey filling for Sweet German Chocolate Cake on top of an espresso-infused cake, well. The crowds are actually justified when using their grubby little hands to grab at them. (Really- there is something about the gooey filling of coconut, nuts, and, um, sugary goo, that attracts people. Not everyone likes coconut, but the 75% of people who do like it make up for those who don’t, because they’re so damned aggressive about it. Seriously- watch their eyes light up when you serve these cupcakes, macaroons, or even better, the World’s Greatest Coconut Macaroon Fudge Brownies. Coconut lovers are a passionate bunch. Watch out for them.)

Adapted from my Sweet German Chocolate Cake recipe, which is really an adaptation from the Baker’s recipe…

CUPCAKES:

4 oz. German sweet chocolate, chopped or broken into pieces (1 package if using Baker’s brand)

1/2 cup water

4 eggs, separated

2 1/2 cups cake & pastry flour

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons Kahlua (or other coffee flavored liqueur, optional)

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

COCONUT-PECAN FILLING & FROSTING:

1 can evaporated milk (12 oz.)

4 egg yolks

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons Kahlua (or other coffee flavored liqueur, optional)

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter

1 package Angel Flake shredded coconut (14 oz. bag, or 5 1/3 cups)*

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, toasted
1. Preheat oven to 350°, and grease about 24 cupcake liners in muffin tins.
2. In a medium bowl, microwave chocolate and water for 1 minute, stir, then return to microwave for 30 more seconds to almost melt chocolate. Stir until smooth and melted- you might need up to an additional 30 seconds in microwave. Allow to cool.
3. Separate egg yolks from whites and set aside (allow to come to room temperature).
4. In a small bowl, mix flour, instant espresso powder, baking soda and salt together, and set aside.
5. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with mixer until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes), scraping sides of bowl with a spatula every minute or so. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well and scraping sides of bowl after each addition. Blend in melted chocolate, vanilla and Kahlua (if using) until combined. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition (starting and ending with flour).
6. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into chocolate batter until well blended. Scoop evenly into cupcake liners.
7. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to cool on wire racks. (Spread filling only when cupcakes are cooled.)
8. FROSTING & FILLING: In a heavy saucepan, whisk milk, yolks, vanilla and Kahlua (if using) together until well blended. Add sugar and butter, and cook over medium for about 12 minutes while stirring constantly until thickened and golden brown. Remove from heat, stir coconut and toasted pecans in, and let sit to cool slightly. Pile on top of cupcakes, liberally. (You could always core out a bit of the cupcake to stuff more filling in… your call.)
Tips:
- No instant espresso powder? Well, you could use 4 tablespoons of instant coffee granules. Add more if you really like mocha.
- Toast the nuts! You know I’m a huge fan of the flavor of toasted nuts, instead of plain nuts. Spread the chopped pecans on a baking sheet and bake in your hot oven for about 6 – 8 minutes, until fragrant and a teeny bit toasted (but not black).
- The gooey filling WARNING: you will have a lot of extra filling. This is not a bad thing. (More to eat out of the cooled saucepan later.) Seriously- you can freeze the extra goo and use when the moment strikes (like to bake on top of the World’s Greatest Fudge Brownies, or to serve on its own with amazing vanilla ice cream, or to pile onto Buttermilk Vanilla Cupcakes).
- *You might not need the full bag of coconut if your caramel sauce has thickened considerably after the 12 minutes. My filling didn’t seem thick enough after adding half of the bag (which is what the original recipe calls for), so I improvised. So be on alert- after stirring in the pecans and half the bag, see if you need to add more to get it to a sticky, spreadable consistency.
- Enjoy!
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July 4th, 2013 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Chocolate, Coconut, Mocha