iVamanos! Cake Mix Tweak #2

Hola! Tomorrow morning, my husband and I are taking off for the sunny shores of Mexico--which means, of course, that I won't be posting for a week or so.

However, in honor of the destination, I'm posting Cake Mix Tweak #2--Chocolate Chipotle Cinnamon Cupcakes, aka Sassy 3C Cupcakes, or Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes. 


These cupcakes are sassy, and because I loathe it when people/bakeries/restaurants say that something is spicy when it's really not, this tweak is actually spicy. If you can't take the heat, either don't make the cupcakes or tone it down. You can't take spice away, but you can add it slowly until you get to your desired level of sassy heat. When it comes to flavor, I don't go halfway.

Chipotle, pronounced chee-poht-lay (another pet peeve is people who call it cheepohltay), is a smoked, dried jalapeño pepper. Its spice is somewhat milder than other chilis, but not by much. When it's paired with cinnamon, the resulting impact is almost a spicy mint. If you don't want the quasi-mintiness, leave out the cinnamon. And if you can't handle the spice of the chipotle but want the smokiness, go for smoked paprika.

Start with a chocolate cake mix. The darker the chocolate mix, the better. Replace the water with strong, freshly brewed coffee. Add a (slightly heaping) tablespoon of chipotle and a tablespoon of cinnamon. For the true Mexican flavor, add a generous amount of freshly grated nutmeg. As in, nearly a whole nut. Mix and bake according to directions.

The ones above are topped with a Mexican-spiced dark chocolate ganache. Ganache is ridiculously simple to make. This ganache is thicker than some of the other recipes out there. Finely chop 1 C of a mix of dark chocolate and bittersweet chocolate (Mexican chocolates tend to be on the bitter side. If you don't want that, use whatever chocolate you DO want, or add some sugar to the cream) and put it in a heat-safe bowl. Toss the chocolate with 1 to 1-1/2 tsp chipotle, 1 to 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon, and some grated nutmeg. Heat 1/2 C of heavy cream over low heat until it's nearly boiling, but not scalded. Pour it over the chopped chocolate and let sit for a couple minutes, then stir until everything is melted and the mixture is smooth. If it's not melting, put it in the microwave in 10-second increments. Ganache is not an exact science. You can add more cream or less cream or more chocolate or less chocolate, or put the whole thing over the double boiler. Some people even heat the cream in the microwave. The thing is, this is your tweak. Do what you want.

Holding the cupcakes upside down by the liners, dip them into the ganache, and give them a gentle twist while you lift them up to cover the top fully. Once all the cupcakes are dipped, sprinkle some kosher or sea salt on top. It looks pretty, and it helps cut the bitterness.

Next time you get together with your friends for taco night, volunteer to bring dessert! And then you can point and laugh when your friend who doesn't like spice gives it a double-take and goes for his beer. Ole!