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German Chocolate Cupcakes
I am so in love with these German Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Filling that I moved them up in my editorial calendar so you can all bask in their chocolate divinity ASAP! Every since I posted my German Chocolate Cake Cupcakes way back when, I have been wanting to do another spin on them because everyone should make them, eat them, love them and dream about them. And these German Chocolate Cupcakes WITH Chocolate Ganache are even better.
What Is German Chocolate?
We know we LOVE German Chocolate Cake and German Chocolate Cupcakes – but what exactly is German Chocolate? First of all, you might be surprised to learn that the chocolate coconut delicacy we all love as German Chocolate Cake has nothing to do with chocolate from Germany but rather is named after Samuel German, a Walter Baker & Company employee (in Dorchester, Massachusetts), who developed the dark baking chocolate used for this dessert in 1852. Before German’s creation, Baker only offered an unsweetened chocolate bar, whereas, German’s creation contained a large amount of sugar, making it even sweeter than our modern day semi-sweet chocolate. Over a century after German’s creation of German Chocolate, German Chocolate Cake itself became wildly popular in 1957 when a column of a Dallas newspaper featured, “German Sweet Chocolate Cake” which is almost identical to how we know it today. Within a few weeks, local grocery stores ran out of German chocolate. When Baker’s discovered “German Sweet Chocolate Cake” was the source of the run on their product, they began printing the cake recipe on all of their German Chocolate wrappers and today we not only have every version imaginable of German Chocolate Cake but German Chocolate Cheesecake, German Chocolate Cookies and of course, these German Chocolate Cupcakes! Thank you Samuel German.
GERMAN CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE INGREDIENTS
These cupcakes have three components: the German chocolate cupcakes, the chocolate ganache and the German chocolate cake frosting for triple the YUM!
German’s sweet chocolate: Sweeter than semi-sweet chocolate. A must when making homemade German chocolate cake-inspired desserts!Semi-sweet chocolate: Adds more chocolaty flavor without making the cupcakes too sugary.All-purpose flour: Spoon and level the flour when measuring it for best results.Baking soda and baking powder: Gives the cupcakes a little lift.Salt: Do not omit! You need some salt to balance out the sweetness of the batter. I also include sea salt in the frosting for the same reason.Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder.Granulated sugar: Sweetens the batter without altering the flavor.Unsalted butter: I prefer using unsalted butter in my baked goods, then add a pinch of table salt to the batter to balance things out.Eggs: Whole eggs are added to the batter and egg yolks are added to the German chocolate cake icing (don’t worry, the icing is cooked!).Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.Buttermilk: Creates a super tender cupcake, and the tanginess balances out the sweetness of the chocolate.Semi-sweet chocolate chips: Yes, these are chocolate chip German chocolate cupcakes!Evaporated milk: Not to be confused with sweetened condensed milk!Brown sugar: I like using brown sugar in the German chocolate cake frosting rather than white sugar since it makes the frosting taste more caramel-y.Sweetened shredded coconut: Toast the coconut before mixing it into the frosting.Chopped pecans: Use unsalted raw pecans.
How to Make German Chocolate Cupcakes
Cupcake Batter
This German Chocolate Cupcake recipe is the perfect balance of sweet, nutty, coconut delight. Because German chocolate is on the sweet side, I’ve paired it with semi-sweet chocolate, unsweetened cocoa powder and tangy buttermilk so we have a rich, multi-dimensional chocolate-buttermilk cake that is not overly sweet – but ready to cocoon our Chocolate Ganache.
Chocolate Ganache
The Chocolate Ganache is s simple whisking of chopped semi-sweet chocolate and German chocolate into very hot heavy cream and butter to create a mega silky, molten chocolate surprise. How easy is that?! There also is no piping the chocolate into the cupcakes. Simply cut a cone-like shape out of the top of each cupcake, take a bite off the bottom of the cone (or cut it off if you prefer), fill your cupcake with chocolate and replace the top of the cone. This is the same method I used in my Ding Dong Cupcakes, so if you want to see step by step pics, you can see them HERE.
German Chocolate Frosting
Next, create your uber delectable sweet and sticky Coconut Pecan frosting by first toasting your coconut and pecans together in the oven. A lot of recipes don’t call for this, but this extra steps makes such a difference! Next, whisk together your brown sugar, evaporated milk, and butter and simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon to create a gooey caramel like frosting base that you lace with your toasted pecans and toasted coconut. Then its frosting time! And because there really isn’t a nice way to frost these German Chocolate Cupcakes because the gooey, crunchy, chewy Coconut Pecan Frosting is so thick, I just use an ice cream scoop – and that means it takes mere minutes to frost these babies. And that is a very, very good thing when this deliciousness awaits…
Tips for German Chocolate Cupcakes
USE ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS: Always use room temperature eggs because they trap more air and result in fluffier cakes and cupcakes. Room temperature eggs also mix much easier so you are more likely not to over-mix your batter which can result in dense cupcakes. CREAM UNTIL FLUFFY: One of the keys to the softest German Chocolate Cupcakes – or any cupcakes – is to cream your sugar and butter until light and fluffy. You should beat your butter and sugar at medium – high speed for at least 4 minutes. I suggest setting a timer because 4 minutes will seem extra-long but you don’t want to cut it short. The bubbles created when beating will expand as the cupcakes bake, resulting in a lighter cupcakes. If you don’t cream them enough, your cupcakes will be denser, not as tender, or rise as high. DON’T PEEK! I know it is going to be hard not to peek, but please don’t open the door! Opening the doors can cause your cupcakes to cook unevenly and to fall. DON’T OVERBAKE! One of the main reasons people complain of dry cupcakes is because they overbake them. You want to remove your cupcakes when there are just a few crumbs clinging to a toothpick. Check your German Chocolate Cupcakes at about 15 minutes then continue to cook as needed, setting a timer so you don’t overbake them.
Can I Make German Chocolate Cakes Ahead of time?
You can make the German Cupcakes completely ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to serve, then either let them come to room temperature before serving, or better yet, microwave for 10 seconds or so in order for the ganache to soften into delectable motlen – mmmm. Alternatively, you can make the cupcakes ahead of time and fill with ganache and frost when ready to serve:
CAN I FREEZE GERMAN CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES?
Looking for more Cake Recipes?
Coconut Cake (Triple Coconut!) Chocolate Raspberry Cake Peppermint Chocolate Cake Kentucky Butter Cake Carrot Cake with Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting Lemon Blueberry Cake
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