Chocodile Cupcakes

As I sat thinking of something to bake that my husband would enjoy I thought about his love of Chocodile's. I needed to find the right cake and that heavenly filling and a basic chocolate frosting recipe. After combining a few recipe's I finally found the perfect match! These are really worth making and you will be the hit of the party if you bring these. You can use regular Hershey's Cocoa in these if you use a dark chocolate candy bar. DO NOT skimp on the mix time for the filling, the shortening needs that time to incorporate and fluff up to that filling we all love. I would love to hear how everyone likes them so be sure to come back and comment. Enjoy!

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa (I used and recommend Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa)
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 melted Hershey’s Chocolate Bar ( regular size) * Mix boiling water and chocolate together and add last. Eggs will scramble if you don’t!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake rounds or one 13×9x2-inch baking pan. Or fill cupcake cups 2/3 of the way.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the first six ingredients (sugar through salt); add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin); pour into prepared pan(s) and bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes our clean. If baking cake rounds, allow rounds to cool slightly before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely. If using rectangular baking pan, allow cake to cool completely before icing.

Filling
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Beat sugar, shortening, vanilla, milk, salt and water for 7 minutes.
Add powdered sugar and beat for 5 minutes longer.




One Bowl Chocolate Frosting
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 & 2/3 cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa (again, I used and recommend Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa)
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 melted Hershey Bar (regular size)



In a medium-sized bowl, mix and beat all ingredients using an electric mixer. If icing seems too thick, add a touch more heavy cream until desired consistency is reached, taking care not to over-thin the icing. I have found these amounts enough to frost the top and center layer of two, stacked, 9-inch cake rounds (but not the sides) or the top of a 13×9x2-inch rectangular cake. If you are looking to frost the sides of the stacked cake rounds as well, consider doubling these amounts.

Lately I have become obsessed with different textures and unusual flavors to use in frosting. I started out simple enough by adding melted dark chocolate to an already rich chocolate frosting, it was divine. When I started the next client order I decided to take a simple strawberry cupcake and turn it into one filled with strawberry mousse and frosted with a wonderful lemon zest frosting. Next I started thinking about crackle, crackle on a cupcake! I made a rich vanilla cupcake with caramel frosting and topped it with a dark brown crackle. They were all very moist and the changes were a surprising hit with my clients. Resulting in a flood of orders, which was of course a blessing and a curse.
Over the weekend I began to think of new textures and some old favorites that I thought needed a comeback. One frosting that seems to have all but disappeared is the seven minute meringue frosting. It is lovely, flavorful and outstanding when toasted. What about changing my peanut butter frosting into a peanut butter and strawberry jam flavor. I have to say that this week, that PB&J is my favorite. Sadly for my hips, I could eat it by the bowlful.
I know it seems outlandish to be this excited about new frosting ideas, I just love the feeling of creating something new in my kitchen. It's wonderful to have clients and friends thank me through crumbs as they are devouring a second cupcake. When I walk into my kitchen and start thinking about my supplies, what is fresh and in season and what new thing I can create; it is an amazing feeling to me. Now how about a tropical cupcake with prosciutto, just crazy enough to be delicious!