Chocolate Filled Gluten Free Vanilla and Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting.

Today is my grandma's birthday and we're having a celebration later so what better to bring than cupcakes? 

Originally I planned on icing half of the cupcakes with vanilla buttercream and half with chocolate buttercream but while searching for chocolate frosting recipes, I came across one that looked more like a "custard" (there were no eggs in the recipe) and the idea dawned on me to fill the cupcakes!  I needed a filling for the mini cake I made for my grandma so I used a cooked frosting recipe I found to fill the cupcakes as well.

My grandmother is an amazing gardener - she has the greenest thumb of anyone I've ever met - so I tried to incorporate a flower theme, hence the strange piping on the cupcakes!  They were intended to look something like hydrangeas, only with smaller petals because I couldn't find my Wilton 1M tip.  Let's just say I've convinced myself to be happy with them anyway :D

If it helps, everything can be made in stages.  The filling can me made well ahead of time and indeed needs to chill before you use it.  I made the cupcakes first, froze them, buttercream second, filling third, but as long as everything is ready when you go to assemble, it doesn't matter what order you make them in.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Recipe, makes 24 standard-size cupcakes
Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Recipe, makes 18 standard-size cupcakes

Chocolate Filling
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa and cornstarch.  Add the boiling water and salt, then cook over high heat until it comes to a boil and thickens.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla extract.  Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.

Buttercream Frosting
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 lbs. confectioner's sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter until it's smooth, then add the sugar gradually.  Beat in the salt and vanilla, then mix on high speed until everything is very creamy and spreadable.

To fill the cupcakes, cut out cones from the top of them and remove the triangular part of the cone.  Using about a teaspoon per cupcake, fill them and then replace the tops before icing with buttercream.

 

Happy birthday, Grandma :)