Difficulty:
★★☆☆☆ (easy)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes:

• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs

Ganache:

• 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup whipping cream, steaming hot

Chocolate Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pound confectioners sugar

Directions:

1. Sift flour, sugars, baking soda and salt through a fine-mesh sieve. Set aside.
2. Place chocolate, butter and cocoa into a large bowl. Pour boiling water over. Let sit for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Whisk in vanilla, sour cream, buttermilk and eggs until well combined. Add dry ingredients, whisking until smooth.
3. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into regular-sized muffin tins prepared with cupcake liners (about 15). Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.
4. To make ganache, place chocolate in a bowl. Pour cream over chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
5. To make frosting, place butter, cream and salt in the bowl of a mixer. Sift cocoa through a fine-mesh sieve set over the mixing bowl. Mix on medium-speed until creamy. Add vanilla. Sift confectioners sugar into mixing bowl through a fine-mesh sieve. Beat on low to combine; turn speed to medium and beat for 6 minutes until creamy and fluffy. Icing will be quite stiff.
6. To assemble, cut out a small cone in the centre of each cupcake. Discard scraps. Spoon ganache into each cupcake and spread a small amount over the top to smooth it out. Pipe on frosting in desired fashion. Drizzle with remaining ganache, heating up if necessary. Garnish with chopped chocolate.