Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Chocolate Peppermint is one of my all time favorite flavor combinations especially around the Holiday season. These Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes start with a rich chocolate cupcake filled with a sweet vanilla custard center that has a subtle hint of peppermint and Ghirardelli Chocolate Peppermint Bark shavings throughout, then each cupcake is topped with a peppermint swirl buttercream, more Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark shavings, and a whole Peppermint Bark Square…just delicious.
Feel free to add more peppermint extract to the custard or buttercream just note that a little goes a long way and peppermint can really pack a punch! It’s best to start with a little then add more depending on your flavor preference.
How To Fill Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Filling your cupcakes with custard, flavored buttercream, jams, and so much more is an easy and delicious way to pack to much flavor in every bite. Biting into any cupcake always a good time, but imagine biting into a cupcake with a delicious surprise in the center? Game changer. When filling your cupcakes it’s best to do this step slowly and gently so you don’t risk overfilling the cupcakes and end up cracking the cupcake in half.
Insert your piping bag about half way into your cupcake, not at the very bottom then slowly squeeze your piping bag so that the filling starts to come out. As you gently pipe the filling, slowly move your piping bag upward to remove it from the cupcake. If your filling overflows a bit, simply use an offset spatula to scrape up that excess filling.
You can find these delicious Ghirardelli Chocolate Peppermint Bark Square’s at your local Walmart. If you’re not a fan of peppermint, there are so many flavors to choose from that you’re bound to find the perfect match to turn into a delicious cupcake creation.
To shave your Ghirardelli Chocolate Peppermint Bark Square’s simply use a peeler or cheese grater! It works perfectly and helps to give your the perfect sized shavings in every bite. Additionally you can use a zester if that’s what you have on hand. You also have the option of finely chopping up your Ghirardelli Chocolate Peppermint Bark Square’s then sprinkling them on top of your cupcake.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do and have a Happy Holiday season filled with lots of chocolate and peppermint :)
Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
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12
servings12
minutesKeep the screen of your device on.
Ingredients
- Peppermint Custard Filling
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups whole milk
6 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
1/4 cup Ghirardelli Chocolate Peppermint Bark Square Shavings
- Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. espresso powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg, room temperature
6 Tbsp. boiling water
- Buttercream
3/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1-3 Tbsp. heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
1/4 tsp. salt
2-3 drops red food gel
Directions
- Peppermint Custard Filling
- Place the sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, milk, and cream in a medium sized sauce pot and whisk to combine.
- Place the pot over medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture begins to thicken and become a pudding consistency. This can take anywhere from 10-15 minutes.
- Once the mixture has thickened and begun to bubble, remove it from the heat and add in the butter, vanilla and peppermint extract. Whisk to combine.
- Place the custard in a heat proof bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let this sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line your cupcake pan with liners then set aside.
- In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fir with the whisk attachment, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt. Mix until everything is evenly combined.
- Place 3/4 cups of water in a small stove top pot and heat over medium to high heat. Turn the heat off once the water comes to a boil.
- Create a well in the center of the bowl if you’re mixing by hand and add in the milk, oil, vanilla, and eggs.
- Slowly mix everything together while adding a slow stream of the boiling water on the side of the bowl. Mix until the batter is nice and smooth.
- Scoop and fill your prepared cupcake pans 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack. In the meantime you can prepare the buttercream.
- Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment or using a hand held electric mixer, cream together the butter and confectioner’s sugar while slowly adding in the heavy cream 1 Tbsp. at a time.
- Add the vanilla and peppermint extract, and salt and continue to whip up the buttercream until is has reached a smooth consistency.
- Use a pain brush to brush lines of red along the sides of your piping bag before filling it with the buttercream to give you that beautiful swirl of red and white.
- Assembling The Cupcakes
- Once the cupcakes have cooled and the custard has had enough time to thicken and chill, place the custard in a piping bag and gently fill each cupcake with the peppermint custard.
- Next, pipe a swirl of buttercream on top of each cupcake. Top each cupcake with Ghirardelli Chocolate Peppermint Bark Square Shavings then a whole Peppermint Bark Square.
- Voila! Enjoy!
- Storing
- To store these delicious Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes, place them in a sealed tight container for up to one week or freeze sealed for up to 2 months. If serving from chilled, allow them to sit out at room temperature for one hour to come back to room temp before serving. Enjoy!
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