Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

If you like chocolate, you’ll love these cupcakes! I made these for a friend’s birthday and since she loves chocolate, I knew they would do the trick. I have found that using instant coffee in chocolate dishes really enhances the flavor of the chocolate – making it even more delicious. Since I don’t like coffee I used to omit it, but now I make sure to always include it if the recipe calls for it :)

Some of my cupcakes were difficult to dip into the ganache without making a mess, so I used a spoon to poor it on top and smoothed it out with the back of the spoon. It ended up working perfectly!

Ingredients:
1/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
11 fluid ounces Hershey's chocolate syrup
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

For the ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and coffee granules and mix until just combined. Don't overbeat, or the cupcakes will be tough.

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Don't overbake! Let cool thoroughly in the muffin pan for 10 min then move to a cooling rack.

For the ganache, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.

Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the ganache. Do not refrigerate.

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten