Page 45 - Cupcakes

ASSEMBLY TIME: 5 MINUTES

Basic Chocolate Ganache (page 332), chilled at least 1 hour (see “the Cupcake
Doctor says”)
Cinnamon Crème Anglaise (page 354)
Vegetable oil spray for misting the pans

All-purpose flour for dusting the pans
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil’s food cake mix

1 cup water
½ cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1. Prepare the Basic Chocolate Ganache, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it
in the refrigerator to chill. Prepare the Cinnamon Crème Anglaise, cover it with
plastic wrap placed right on the surface, and place it in the refrigerator to chill.

2. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly
mist 24 cupcake cups with vegetable oil spray and dust them with flour. Shake
out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.

3. Place the cake mix, water, oil, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large mixing

bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the
machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase
the mixer speed to medium and blend 1½ to 2 minutes more, scraping down the
sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined and thickened.
Spoon or scoop ⅓ cup batter into each prepared cup, filling it three quarters of
the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes.) Drop a heaping
teaspoonful of ganache onto the top of the batter in each cup. Place the pans in
the oven.

the CupcakeDoctor says...