Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 3    eggs
• 6  ounces  bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2  cup  butter, cut into pieces
• 3  tablespoons  creme de cacao
• 1/2  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  sugar
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla
• 1  recipe  Dark Chocolate Butter Frosting
•     Chopped bittersweet chocolate

Directions

1. Separate eggs. Allow egg yolks and whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine the 6 ounces chocolate and the butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in creme de cacao; cool.

2. Grease and flour twelve 2-1/2-inch muffin cups (or line with paper bake cups or parchment paper squares)*. In a small bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat egg yolks and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed about 3 minutes or until thick and lemon color. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Add flour mixture, beating just until combined; set aside.

4. Wash beaters thoroughly. In a medium bowl beat egg whites on medium to high speed just until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Stir a small amount of the beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten. Fold in the remaining beaten egg whites.

5. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.

6. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on a wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups. Cool completely on wire racks.

7. Place Dark Chocolate Butter Frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Pipe long stars of frosting onto tops of cupcakes. Sprinkle with additional chopped chocolate. Makes 12 (2-1/2-inch) cupcakes.

Dark Chocolate Butter Frosting: Allow 6 tablespoons butter to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup powdered sugar, beating well. Beat in 2 ounces dark chocolate, melted and cooled; 2 tablespoons milk; and 1 tablespoon creme de cacao. Gradually beat in 3 cups additional powdered sugar. Beat in enough additional milk (1 to 2 tablespoons) until frosting reaches a piping consistency. Makes about 2-1/4 cups.

*Test Kitchen Tip: To make parchment paper liners, cut parchment paper into 6-inch squares. When ready to fill each muffin cup, fill a medium ice cream scoop with batter; set aside. Press a paper square into a cup, pleating as necessary to fit. Using one hand to hold the paper in place, place the scoop of batter in the paper-lined cup.