This week my husband asked if I could make some Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes for him to bring into work. My husband’s co-workers are often the recipients of my baking trials and triumphs, and always seem more than happy to eat my “experiments”. My husband doesn’t often put in special requests, so I was glad to cater to him and sent him to work today with a dozen Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes. My husband’s work shift starts at 6am and he called me later in the morning to let me know the cupcake were gone by about 6:10am! I guess that means they liked them =)
The recipe is just a tiny variation of the Chocolate Cupcake and Cream Cheese Frosting recipes I’ve posted before, but I’ll add them here to save you a couple clicks.
Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes
(makes 24-27 standard sized cupcakes)
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (best quality available)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (best quality available)
1 cup boiling water
~ Directions ~
*Line muffin tin with paper liners. Heat oven to 350*F.
*In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
*Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute.
*Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin, don’t worry, this is right).
*Fill liners 2/3 full with batter. (I usually put the batter into a large measuring cup with a pour spout, and then pour the batter into the liners.)
*Bake cupcakes for approximately 22-24 minutes.
*Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.
Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick, 8 Tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature (about 3/4 of a regular block of cream cheese)
4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 to 3 Tablespoons heavy cream, heavy whipping cream (or milk- although I do like the richness that cream adds)
~ Directions ~
*Place butter in a large mixing bowl and blend slightly. Add cream cheese and blend until combined, about 30 seconds.
*Add powdered sugar (a little at a time) and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.
*Add vanilla and peppermint extracts
*Slowly add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don’t add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.)
*Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
*Use at once or keep refrigerated. (This frosting will keep well in the refrigerator for several days, but you may need to re-beat it for the best texture.)
To achieve the red stripe in the frosting: Before filling a large piping bag with frosting, add some red gel food coloring to a toothpick, and draw two (vertical) lines with the red dye on the inside of the piping bag. Then carefully fill the piping bag with frosting. Squeeze some frosting into a bowl until you begin to see the red stripe, then frost the cupcakes.
Top cupcakes with some crushed candy canes (they will “melt” after a bit, so they need to be served right away) or a small piece of peppermint bark (I used a little peppermint Andes candy).
Bring some of these into work, or send them in with your spouse, and see how popular you quickly become!
Happy Baking!
How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
Ingredients
Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa best quality available
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract best quality available
- 1 cup boiling water
Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick/8 Tablespoons, at room temperature
- 6 oz cream cheese at room temperature (about 3/4 of a regular block of cream cheese)
- 4 cups powdered confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream heavy whipping cream (or milk- although I do like the richness that cream adds)
Instructions
Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes
- Line muffin tin with paper liners. Heat oven to 350*F.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute.
- Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin, don’t worry, this is right).
- Fill liners 2/3 full with batter. (I usually put the batter into a large measuring cup with a pour spout, and then pour the batter into the liners.)
- Bake cupcakes for approximately 22-24 minutes.
- Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.
Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place butter in a large mixing bowl and blend slightly. Add cream cheese and blend until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Add powdered sugar (a little at a time) and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy.
- Add vanilla and peppermint extracts
- Slowly add the heavy cream, a little bit at a time until desired consistency is met. (Don’t add too much if you want the frosting to stay in place when piped on cupcakes.)
- Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Use at once or keep refrigerated. (This frosting will keep well in the refrigerator for several days, but you may need to re-beat it for the best texture.)
To achieve the red stripe in the frosting
- Before filling a large piping bag with frosting, add some red gel food coloring to a toothpick, and draw two (vertical) lines with the red dye on the inside of the piping bag. Then carefully fill the piping bag with frosting.
- Squeeze some frosting into a bowl until you begin to see the red stripe, then frost the cupcakes.
- Top cupcakes with some crushed candy canes (they will “melt” after a bit, so they need to be served right away) or a small piece of peppermint bark (I used a little peppermint Andes candy).
Ashley says
Absolutely amazing! I want to try this since Christmas is coming up pretty fast. 🙂
CB says
Is there a way that you could ice a cake with the swirled icing. When I frost I do one thin layer of icing then let that crust and then do another thick “ish” layer, and that is my top later. So if I did an all white bottom layer and then added the red color to the icing and did the second layer with the swirled icing, would that work? How would you add the color and would the colors mix together when you put it on the cake. And I always chill the cake because I make it the day or so before so it won’t go bad, would that mess it up at all. Thanks.
Adrianne at Happy Hour says
These look so wonderful. I have a Christmas in July baking roundup today on my blog, and you’ve been featured as part of it. Your recipe is not posted, the link directs readers here. You can visit the post at http://www.happyhourprojects.com/2012/07/christmas-in-july-baking.html
Thanks for sharing – yum!!
Anonymous says
I was wondering…what do you think they would taste like if I substituted the vanilla extract in the batter for peppermint extract?? Would it be too much??
Elizabeth says
I saw these on Pinterest and made them yesterday. They turned out perfectly, though I was a little over-zealous with the frosting and only had enough for 20 cupcakes. They were some of the most moist, delicious cupcakes I've had!
Lisa Kalbfleisch says
I made your recipe for the Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes and was very dubious about the boiling water, but as you said, they turned out great! I added a peppermint patty to the batter and then pushed one into the icing. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Loved it!
Anonymous says
I am a baking disaster waiting to happen. But these were perfect. They came out just right which rarely happens w/a new baking recipe. I will probably make them WAY TOO MUCH now.
Anonymous says
Just made these tonight for work tomorrow and they are absolutely AMAZING!
Liz says
Love these! I was planning on making peppermint cupcakes for Christmas. I think this recipe is the winner!!
Cate says
Yum! That's the same chocolate cake recipe I use – It never fails!