Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Oh my yum: A Coffolate Dream!

another post, you say? and so quickly! don't get used to it. i was just excited about these.

i have been super stressed out lately, so what better to do then bake? and what better to bake then something with chocolate?! i love love LOVE chocolate. i also love coffee flavors. and next to peanut butter and chocolate, a coffee-chocolate combo is a dream come true. so i decided to do something about it yesterday. 

here you'll find a simple recipe i mashed together from a bunch of different sources. go on - love it a little. 

cupcakes (makes 12)
  • 1 box Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Decadence Brownies mix (or any chocolate cake mix)
    • ingredients called for on box
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 1/2 packet instant coffee granules (save remaining 1/2)
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 egg*
prepare cake mix as indicated on box. fill 12 regular lined cupcake molds evenly (about 1/2 - 2/3 full each). in an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese, coffee granules, and sugar until well mixed. add the egg and blend well*.  using a piping bag (or ziploc with the tip cut off) for ease, pipe the cream cheese mixture into the center of each cupcake, inserting the tip into the chocolate batter and letting the cake expand to no more than 2/3 full. bake at 325F for 20 minutes, or until springy to the touch. remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. mine ended up setting with a little crater in the middle where the cheesecake didn't rise - perfect for the garnish later. 
* so the egg... i would probably try it without the egg next time, just to make the cream cheese core more dense. i've seen recipes like that so i know its been done! 



chocolate ganache
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or dark chocolate, which i shoulda woulda coulda done)
  • remaining 1/2 packet of instant coffee granules
over a stove, warm the heavy whipping cream, stirring frequently to prevent burning. when warm (NOT boiling), pour the cream over the chocolate in another heat proof bowl. slowly mix with a rubber spatula until all the chocolate has melted. after 2 minutes, add the coffee granules and stir slowly, making sure not to allow air bubbles to form. let stand for 5 minutes.  

dip the cupcakes, top down, into the ganache. if necessary, use a spoon to ladle ganache into the depressed center. add three chocolate covered espresso beans for garnish (i used dark chocolate ones from trader joe's). you'll have some leftover ganache - dip your fruit in it after dinner, its delish!

shout out to the icm folks that get to enjoy my tasty endeavors on the regular!

3 comments:

  1. only 5.16 hours until ICM today! Please tell me these are coming with you...

    What better Rx for the MDE patient (or MD student) than these?

    ReplyDelete
  2. oh my god i'm so excited.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Can I pretend to be in your ICM group? At least once...

    ReplyDelete

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