Dark Chocolate Azteca Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream

By DomesticMuse

Unbelievable moist, delicious and SPICY chocolate cupcakes with a sinful buttercream frosting. Caliente!

Ingredients

• For Cinnamon Buttercream:
• 1/4 c unsalted butter
• 2 T Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder
• 3 T water
• 1/2 c granulated sugar
• 2 T well beaten egg
• 2 T buttermilk
• 1/2 T vanilla
• 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1/8 t baking soda
• 1/4 t baking powder
• 1/4 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ancho chile powder
• 1/8 t or more of cayenne depending if you like some heat
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 c unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 c powdered sugar
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• dash of vanilla
• pinch of salt

Details

Servings 5
Adapted from agoodappetite.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare 5 - 7 foil muffin cups.
2. Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, then whisk in cocoa.
3. Add water and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat.
4. Whisk in separately sugar, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla.
5. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ancho, cayenne and salt into a bowl and mix well with a whisk.
6. Add the flour mixture to the cocoa mixture and whisk until just combined (it will be a little bit lumpy).
7. Fill muffin tins to about 2/3 full for rounded cupcakes.
8. Bake for 20 minutes until a skewer or toothpick comes out clean. It's a moist cake, so don't worry if a few crumbs stick to your tester.
9. Allow cupcakes to cool.

For the buttercream:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter with the whisk attachment until light & creamy
2. Beat in 1/4 c of sugar, cinnamon, vanilla & salt until combined.
3. Continue to add the sugar 1/4 c at a time. Taste & add more cinnamon if you wish.
4. Frost the cupcakes with the buttercream. If you want to achieve the "swirly" effect, use a pastry bag fitted with a coupler but no tip, and pime the buttercream onto the cupcakes.