Recipe of the Day: Chocolate Creamy Surprise Cupcakes

Recipe & Photo courtesy of Land O Lakes

A creamy filling hides inside the chocolate cupcake for a delicious surprise.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, softened
• 2 Land O Lakes® All-Natural Eggs
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 4 (1-ounce) squares  unsweetened baking chocolate, melted, cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting/Filling:

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

*Decorator candies and/or sugars, if desired*

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cups into muffin pan cups; set aside. 
2. Combine 1 3/4 cups sugar and butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Add water, melted chocolate and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Continue beating until well mixed. (Mixture may look curdled.) Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; beat at low speed until well mixed. 
3. Divide batter evenly between prepared muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely. 
4. Meanwhile, beat whipping cream and powdered sugar in small bowl at high speed, scraping bowl often, until stiff peaks form. Gently stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. 
5. Remove teaspoonful of cake from center of each cupcake; reserve cake piece. Fill hole with about 1 teaspoon frosting/filling; top with cake piece. Frost cupcake with about 2 tablespoons frosting/filling. Sprinkle frosting with decorator candies and/or sugars, if desired. Store refrigerated.

Recipe Tip: 

• A pastry bag or plastic food bag with corner snipped off makes filling and frosting cupcakes a breeze. 
• Refrigerate frosting for up to 4 days. If mixture softens, rewhip to stiff peaks. 
• Use an apple corer to easily remove cake from center of cupcake.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cupcake

Calories: 220

Fat: 13g

Cholesterol: 45mg

Sodium: 115mg

Carbohydrates: 24g

Dietary Fiber: 1g

Protein: 2g