Recipe of the week | Chocolatey!

Spiced Chocolate Muffins with Ganache frosting!

Welcome, Cake-lovers!

This week's offering is a Devil's food cake style cupcake with a Ganache-style chocolate frosting. The difference is that the "Ganache" here is achieved with sour cream instead of double cream. (Still feels like I have truffles on top of the cupcakes though, lol!)
 
Without much further ado!

Makes: 18 cupcakes
Prep-time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 22 minutes

Ingredients:
90g  Unsalted butter, softened
115g Caster sugar
90g  Soft light brown sugar
2 Medium eggs
150mls  Sour Cream
4 tbspns (60mls) Milk
200g Plain flour
1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons Cocoa powder
1 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice
100g / 4oz Plain (dark) chocolate chips

Frosting:
100g / 4oz Plain (dark) chocolate
2 tablespoons Caster sugar
150ml / 5 fl oz Sour Cream
Sprinkle (optional)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 190oC/ 170oC Fan/ 375oF/ Gas Mark 5. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with 18 muffin cases.
   
2. Place the butter, caster sugar and brown sugar in a bowl and beat well. Beat in the eggs, sour cream and milk until thoroughly mixed.
   Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa and allspice into a separate bowl and stir into the mixture. Add the chocolate chips and mix together well. Divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases.
   
3. Bake in the oven for 18-22 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container until required. 
4. To make the frosting, break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water and heat until melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and cool slightly, then whisk in the sugar and sour cream until combined. Spread the frosting over the tops of the cupcakes and set in the refrigerator before serving.
   

This tastes really good (one cupcake disappeared really quickly as soon as done- lol). Let me know how you get on with this.