Fudge Graham Cupcakes

What a nice, short, title. What I ought to have called it was, "Fudge graham cupcakes with crisp graham crust and whipped ganache filling'. However, because the idea that you might think I actually made a simple cupcake and are even now being drawn in...

Well, it's not that complicated. Especially if you have leftover ganache lying around. I generally do. What, you don't? What are you doing with all of yours?

Bet you're wondering where we're hanging out...

So what we have here is a cupcake inspired by a cookie I've hardly ever eaten - the Keebler fudge-covered graham cracker. My mom just never bought those kind of cookies, and at this point in my life my attitude is really, "Why would anyone do that to a graham cracker?" But I'd gladly make a cupcake out of it!

Just mannin' the farm,

So I started with the graham crust and graham cake from my Key lime cupcakes (I mean, why reinvent the wheel?). I whipped up some ganache I had on hand to make it fluffy and then spooned that into the baked cupcakes as the filling, make a very chocolate-y buttercream to frost them with, and then garnished with a few additional graham crackers. Pretty simple, especially for me. So let's do it, shall we?

This makes about 18 cupcakes.

~ Graham Cupcakes ~
For graham bottom:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter, salted
1/4 cup sugar
For cupcakes:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 cup whole milk
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 standard-sized muffin cups with baking liners (or grease well).

In a small bowl, combine the 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1/4 cup sugar, mixing until crumbly. Press a small amount into the bottom of each muffin cup, dividing the total evenly, and press down with your fingers to form a smooth(ish) bottom layer. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes and let cool before filling with cupcake batter.

Crispy graham cracker bottoms - please don't skip this step!

Cupcakes now:
Beat the butter for about 30 seconds until well creamed. Add the sugars and mix with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in vanilla and mix again.
Combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda and powder, and salt into a small bowl. Add in about half of the dry mixture into the butter mixture and stir until combined. Add in the milk and mix well. Finish with the rest of the flour mixture and mix just until combined.  
Scoop the batter into the muffin cups (the ones you already have the graham cracker crust baked into, remember?) and bake at 350 for about 15 - 18 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the muffin tins for 2 minutes or so, then remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack. 

~Ganache~
8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped 
1/2 cup heavy cream
pinch instant espresso powder

In the top of a double boiler over gently simmering water, combine all ingredients until smooth. Let cool until room temperature and then, with a hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the stuffing out of it until it is nice and fluffy, then set aside until you are ready to fill the cupcakes.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut out a cone-shaped portion out of the top of each cake. Slice off the excess cake from the cone (leaving the flat cap) and reserve the top. Fill the resulting hole with about a tablespoon of the whipped ganache, then replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

~ For Chocolate Frosting ~
6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
4-6 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together in the bowl of an electric mixture until smooth. Frost cupcakes as desired (I piped mine on using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip). Garnish with additional graham cracker crumbs, if desired.

I'm artsy on the rocks!

I think I AM a rock!

We're coming to get you, Barbara...