Easy Chocolate Fudge Ancho Cupcakes with Hibiscus Buttercream Frosting

By Texaschef11

Ingredients

• 1 package (18 1/4 ounces) chocolate fudge cake mix
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Chile Pepper, Ancho
• Hibiscus Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat cake mix, water, oil, eggs and ancho chile pepper in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened, scraping sides of bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes.

2. Spoon batter into 24 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.

3. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost cupcakes with Hibiscus Buttercream Frosting.
Tips

Hibiscus Buttercream Frosting: Beat 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened, and 2 tablespoons finely ground dried hibiscus flowers in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 4 cups confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons water; beat until light and fluffy.



Test Kitchen Tip: Dried hibiscus flowers, also known as sorrel or Flor de Jamaica, are the edible flowers of the Hibiscus sabdariffa. They are popular in beverages and desserts in the Caribbean, Mexico, Africa and Asia. The dried flowers can be purchased whole, ground or in syrup in ethnic markets or online specialty stores. To grind whole dried hibiscus flowers for the frosting, place the flowers in a clean coffee grinder. Grind on fine setting until finely ground.