I set out to serve a slightly modified version of Smitten Kitchen’s delicious chocolate and cheesecake swirl cupcakes at a neighborhood Halloween party, but made a last-minute decision to transform the moist, fluffy cupcakes into cake pops. Coated in vanilla buttercream, with some dark chocolate cake poking through, these have a fun marbled effect – which can be interpreted as spooky for Halloween and artsy any other time of year.
The cupcake recipe is inspired by devil’s food cake, an extra-fluffy chocolate cake recipe that harks back to early 1900s America. Devil’s food cake has more baking soda than typical chocolate cakes, and uses water, rather than milk, as its main source of liquid. With additional moisture from a sweetened creme fraiche filling, these cake pops fall apart easily, but are well worth making for the incredible flavors and textures.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup water
1/3 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola, avocado, or safflower
1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Creme Fraiche Filling
8 ounces creme fraiche, at room temperature (substitute cream cheese if unavailable)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
2 ounces bittersweet, high-quality chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
Vanilla Buttercream
1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 lb powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons whole milk, cream, or non-dairy milk
Directions
- Prepare the filling: In a medium bowl, mix creme fraiche, sugar, and egg until fluffy and smooth. Fold in coarsely chopped chocolate. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Fill a 12-inch muffin pan with cupcake liners, and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl, whisk together sugar, water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla until smooth. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture, and pour in wet ingredients. Stir until just combined and smooth; be careful not to over-mix.
- Fill cupcake liners around halfway with batter, reserving some batter to swirl on top. Spoon around 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche filling into each cupcake, then pour remaining cupcake batter evenly on top, swirling with a butter knife for a marbled effect. Bake for around 25 minutes, until cupcakes spring back when touched. Set aside to cool.
- Prepare buttercream frosting: In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar with a handheld electric mixer for several minutes, until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla, salt, and milk.
- Assemble the cake pops: using your hands, crumble fully cooled cupcakes into a bowl. Mix in two heaping tablespoons of buttercream frosting, adding more as needed, until the mixture sticks together enough to form into balls. Roll into approximately tablespoon-sized balls with your hands, and let chill in the fridge for at least two hours.
- Transfer remaining buttercream frosting to a shallow pan or plate. Roll cake pops in frosting until just coated; some of the cake should poke through. Insert a lollipop stick into each cake pop. Ā Chill until ready to serve. Refrigerate leftovers.Ā
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