Bloody Cupcakes

This is a fun way to bring Halloween to any party and a spooky spin on traditional cupcakes.

Utensils

1. Liquid measuring cups
2. Dry measuring cups
3. Butter knife (optional- used for leveling the dry ingredients while measuring)
4. 2 Cupcake trays
5. Whisk
6. Sifter
7. Large bowls
8. Stand mixer or you can do it by hand
9. Spatula
10. 4 tbsp cookie scoop
11. Toothpick
12. Cooling racks
13. Sauce pan
14. Piping bag

Cupcakes ingredients 

• ½ cup boiling water

• 2.6 oz black cocoa powder ¾ cup

• 1 cup chilled buttermilk

• 2 tsp white vinegar

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

• 10.5 oz AP flour 2 ½ cup AP flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 10 oz unsalted butter softened (2 ½ sticks)

• 1 lb white sugar 2 ¼ cups

• ½ tsp kosher salt a heaped ½ tsp

• 4 large eggs

Red White Chocolate Filling

• 240 g white chocolate chips

• 100 g heavy cream (about ½ cup)

• 1 tsp rose water extract

• Pinch sea salt

• red gel food coloring

• light brown gel food coloring 

Frosting 

• 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (452g; 1 lb. box)

• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (12g)

• 1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)

• 7 cups powdered sugar (907g; 2 lb. bag)

• 3 Tbsp heavy cream or whipping cream (45g)

1. Make the white chocolate filling first so it has time to cool down to room temperature.
2. Heat the cream + rose water extract + salt in a saucepan, until it starts to steam (near boiling, but not actually boiling).100 g heavy cream, 1 tsp rose water extract, Pinch sea salt
3. Add the white chocolate chips and let them sit for a few minutes, with the pan covered.240 g white chocolate chips
4. Stir to completely melt the white chocolate chips in the cream. (All of the white chocolate chips should melt in the residual heat.)
5. Add a few drops of red gel food coloring and mix it in. Then add 1 or 2 drops of the brown food coloring to deepen the red color to a blood-like red. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Once cool, set aside until needed.red gel food coloring, Soft brown gel food coloring

• Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Place cupcake liners in 2 cupcake trays.

• Have all the ingredients measured and ready to go.

1. •Place the hot water and cocoa powder in a jug and whisk to dissolve the cocoa powder in the water. You should have a thick and smooth paste. Stir in the buttermilk, vinegar and vanilla, and set aside. and mix a little black food coloring in the milk before adding it to the cake batter.
2.  Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together into a bowl. Set aside.
3. Place the butter in the bowl of your mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it’s light and fluffy, at medium speed for about 2 – 3 minutes.
4. Add the sugar and salt into the mix, and mix for a further 4 – 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Remember to scrape down the sides and the bottom to make sure that the sugar is well incorporated. Beat the butter and sugar mix further if needed (until light and fluffy).
5. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, about 20 – 30 seconds per egg. After adding 2 eggs, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom. Start the mixer again and add the final 2 eggs. Once the final egg has been whisked well into the batter, stop the mixer and remove the bowl.
6.  When you have the black chocolate cake batter ready, use a 4 tbsp (or ¼ cup) cookie scoop to scoop the batter into the cupcake liners in the cupcake tray. You will have some leftover cake batter - just cover it with plastic wrap and set aside in the fridge.
7.  Bake the two cupcake trays in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, rotating the trays once, at the 15 minute mark. 
8.  The cupcakes will be done when a toothpick inserted in the middle, comes out clean.
9.  Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool down for about 5 - 10 minutes. Then gently remove them from the cupcake tray. And set on a cooling rack.

1. Beat 2 cups of unsalted butter on medium speed for 30 seconds until smooth with a paddle attachment

2. Mix in 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste and 1/2 tsp salt on a low speed.

3. Slowly add in 7 cups of powdered sugar while mixing slowly on the lowest setting. Halfway through add in 3 Tbsp of heavy cream or milk to make it easier to mix. I like to place a kitchen towel over my mixer to contain any powdered sugar clouds.

4. Mix on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.

5. If the frosting is too thick, add in additional cream (1 Tbsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (a quarter of a cup at a time). 

6. If you plan to color the buttercream, add in the gel food coloring once the frosting is fully mixed and beat on low until it reaches the desired color.

7. To make the frosting extra smooth, stir it by hand with a rubber spatula for a minute or two right before you use it. It's an arm workout, but it's worth it! Push the frosting back and forth and spread it around the side of the bowl. This will push out any extra air and make it easier to smooth onto cakes or pipe with.

• When the cupcakes have cooled down, use a small table spoon or a 1/4 tea spoon to carefully scoop out the center of the cupcake, save the top of the piece but take out a brittle bit of the inside for the filling to go.

• Fill the cavity with room temperature white chocolate ganache.

• Frost the cupcakes with the white frosting. I like to frost them with a dollop, but you can frost them however you like.

• Drizzle a little bit of the chocolate ganache on top of the frosting and then they are done.