I’m going to be honest, no matter how good Chili Chocolate Buttercream Cupcakes sound, the star of the dessert section of Caribbean Thanksgiving Menu was definitely the Pumpkin Butterscotch Pie with Cashew Crust. I knew it would be, so when it was time to pick the second dessert, I wanted a dessert that would be a very stark contrast to the pie, so it wouldn’t be drowned out and ignored by my guests. It was from that point of view that I tried out these Chili Chocolate Buttercream Cupcakes based closely on a food and wine recipe by Lisa Ritter. Again, honesty. I have to admit, even with all my planning, these Chili Chocolate Buttercream Cupcakes were stuck in the shadow of the pie. Even with all the cayenne and ancho chile powder in the chocolate buttercream. Even with the cinnamon cake. I have plans to make these again someday, when they’re the only thing around. Because Chili Chocolate Buttercream Cupcakes could never be bad. And they weren’t. They were really good. And the mini format was fun for guests. They appreciated the ability to try two desserts without a huge commitment. And the flavors of the Chili Chocolate Buttercream Cupcakes fit right into my Caribbean theme. They would have been great with my Mexican Thanksgiving Menu as well if you’re headed that direction this year. A fun part of making an over the top menu with multiple desserts is that sometimes something as wonderful as Chili Chocolate Buttercream Cupcakes can seem boring when paired with the right (or wrong) thing. Now that’s decadence. Or consider Chili Chocolate Buttercream Cupcakes as a party favor that guests can take home and eat for breakfast.
- 1 ½ sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Prepare mini-cupcake pans (I really like to use spray, particularly with the minis- trying to butter the pan is very time consuming). This recipe will fill the mini (24 muffin) pan twice and still leave you with enough to make a few regular (12 muffin) cupcakes too.
- Beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla until incorporated.
- Beat in baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- Add half the sour cream and mix well.
- Mix in the cake flour.
- Add the rest of the sour cream and mix in.
- Add the all purpose flour until just mixed scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pans.
- Bake the cupcakes on the lower and middle racks of the oven for 14 minutes for the minis. Insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If it comes out clean, remove from the oven to a cooling rack. If it doesn’t, return to the oven and retest in 2-3 minute increments. With regular muffin tins, check after an initial 18 minutes.
- After the cupcakes have cooled for about 10 minutes, you can turn them out of the pans to finish cooling.
Meanwhile, make the frosting.
- 5 sticks unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled (you could use half milk chocolate instead if you like, but all milk will be too sweet)
- Using a mixer, beat the butter until creamy.
- At low speed, beat in the confectioners' sugar.
- Increase the speed to high and beat until fluffy, scraping down the side of the bowl, about 2 minutes longer.
- At low speed, beat in the cream, vanilla, cinnamon, ancho chile powder and cayenne.
- Gradually beat in the bittersweet chocolate. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light, 3 minutes longer.
- The cake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. The buttercream can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Return to room temperature before using.
Frost the completely cooled cupcakes.
