Cupcake Ideas

Chocolate Covered Apricot Cupcakes

 

How to Make It

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
  • 3/4 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon Orange Oil
  • 2/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Yield: Makes about 12 standard cupcakes.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven 350°F, fill muffin pan with baking cups.
  2. In mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar.
  3. Add eggs, milk, chocolate, vanilla, and orange oil, mixing after each addition.
  4. Add flour, baking powder and salt; mix just until blended.
  5. Fill each baking liner full.
  6. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
  7. Cool in pan on cooling rack 8 minutes.
  8. Remove cupcakes from pan.
  9. Cool completely before icing.

Apricot Filling

Ingredients

  • 2 (6 oz.) packages dried apricots
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons Grand Marnier (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 - 3/4 cups granulated sugar

Yield: 3 cups of filling.

Directions

  1. In small saucepan place apricots and water and allow to stand, covered, 2 hours.
  2. Simmer 20 minutes on very low heat, tightly covered or until apricots are soft.
  3. Puree along with any remaining liquid in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
  4. Add Grand Marnier, lemon juice and sugar, mix with several on-off turns.
  5. If desired, for a sweeter filling add more sugar.
  6. Fill cupcake.

Ganache

Ingredients

Yield: Makes about 2 cups ganache.

Directions

  1. Chop Candy Melts (you can use a food processor).
  2. Heat whipping cream in saucepan just to boiling point. DO NOT BOIL.
  3. Remove from heat, add chopped Candy Melts, stir until melted and smooth.
  4. If mixture is too thick, add 1 to 2 additional tablespoons warm whipping cream.
  5. Place cupcake on a cooling grid over drip pan.
  6. Pour glaze into center and work out toward edges.

Can be used as filling if allowed to thicken or can be poured on baked goods as glaze.

Special Hints

Change the apricot filling to raspberry or strawberry to recreate your favorite dipped candy flavor.