Hi Hat Cupcakes - Everything Tastes Better Dipped in Chocolate!!!

I first became fascinated by Hi Hat cupcakes when I visited Retro Bakery in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Their most popular selling cupcake is called the "Hop Scotch".  A vanilla cake topped with vanilla buttercream dipped in butterscotch ganache:

Hop Scotch Cupcake from Retro Bakery

This is one amazing cupcake.  If you are anywhere near Las Vegas you must make a pilgrimage to Retro Bakery and visit Kari and try her amazing cupcakes.  I have tried cupcakes all over the country and Kari at Retro Bakery makes the best cupcakes in my humble opinion.  They are good!

So after trying Kari's cupcakes dipped in ganache, I needed to try to put my own spin on the Hi Hat Cupcake.  With Christmas on the horizon, I decided on a chocolate peppermint concoction. I was in charge of bringing dessert for Christmas dinner so I thought these would be the perfect showstopper.  I started by making a yummy chocolate cupcake.  You can find the recipe here for my Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes.

For the frosting, I decided to make a yummy Peppermint Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  Don't be afraid of making Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  It's much easier than the recipe sounds.

Peppermint Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients:

5 large egg whites, room temperature

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons peppermint extract

Directions:

To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl (I used the bowl of my Kitchenaid mixer) set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F and the sugar has dissolved.  (A candy thermometer is crucial anytime you are cooking sugar.)

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (using the bowl of your mixer makes this step a breeze).  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.

Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated.  If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (don't worry, it will come together!).  Stir in the peppermint extract (start  with 1 teaspoon and add more according to taste) and mix until incorporated.  Tint with pink paste icing color.

Using a large round tip, pipe buttercream high on cupcakes. Place cupcakes on a cookie sheet and place in freezer for 20 minutes.

While the cupcakes are in the freezer you can melt the chocolate for dipping.

Chocolate Coating for Hi Hat Cupcakes

from Martha Stewart

12 ounces Semisweet Chocolate

3 tablespoons Canola or vegetable oil

Combine chocolate and oil in a medium heat proof bowl set over a medium saucepan of barely simmering water, stir until melted and smooth.  Transfer to a small bowl and let cool about 15 minutes.

Holding each cupcake by its bottom, dip cupcake in the chocolate to coat frosting, allowing excess to drip off.  Transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack.  Spoon more coating around edge of cupcake and any exposed frosting, none of the frosting should show.  Sprinkle with chopped peppermint candy canes.  Let cupcakes stand at room temperature.

For Christmas dinner we served them with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.  

YUM!!!

Once I made these my mind kept coming up with all kinds of ideas.  What other cupcakes could I dip in chocolate?  The cupcake that immediately came to mind was my Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cupcake.  You can go to my post here to get the recipe.  Here are photos of my yummy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Hi Hat Cupcakes:

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter filling topped with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Dipped in Semisweet Chocolate Coating and sprinkled with chopped Peanuts

These cupcakes are pure decadence.  I'm sure in the next few weeks and months a lot of my cupcakes will find themselves dipped in chocolate.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

I don't know why but there are two Holidays each year when I immediately start craving Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  The first is Easter.  I just can't get enough of those Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs.  The second is Halloween.  I loved it when I got Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in my Trick or Treat Bag. I would hide them so I could savor and enjoy them all by myself as an after school snack. With Halloween right around the corner the craving has me buying bags of miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and hiding them in my desk at work for an afternoon snack. Then I thought, what would be better...so I made Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting. These cupcakes are the perfect combination of chocolate with a peanut butter center and then topped with a sinful peanut buttter cream cheese frosting. They will definitely satisfy your chocolate peanut butter craving.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients Filling and Cupcakes:
2/3 cup(s) confectioners' sugar
½ cup(s) creamy peanut butter
10 tablespoon(s) (1 1/4 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
1 2/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup(s) unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
½ teaspoon(s) salt
1 cup(s) sour cream
2 tablespoon(s) milk
1 ½ cup(s) granulated sugar
2 large eggs

Directions

Prepare Filling:
In bowl, with mixer on medium speed, mix confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla until blended. Shape mixture into 24 balls using heaping measuring teaspoons. (Balls will be sticky and don't need to be perfectly shaped.) Place balls on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 standard muffin-pan cups with fluted paper liners.

Prepare Cupcakes: On waxed paper, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt. In 2-cup liquid measuring cup, mix sour cream, milk, and remaining vanilla; set aside. In large bowl, with mixer on low speed, beat granulated sugar and remaining 8 tablespoons butter just until blended. Increase speed to high; beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat 1 to 2 minutes more or until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until ingredients are combined, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.

Spoon 1 heaping measuring tablespoon batter into each muffin-pan cup. Drop 1 peanut butter ball in center of each cup and top with another heaping tablespoon batter. Bake cupcakes 25 to 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cupcake comes out clean. Immediately remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on wire rack.

When cupcakes are cool, prepare :

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature

2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese at room temperature

1 1/2 cups of peanut butter

8-12 cups of confectioner’s sugar

Miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Chopped peanuts

In large bowl, with mixer on high speed, beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy (approximately 5 minutes).  Add the peanut butter and mix together.  Blend in the sugar, starting with about 6 cups and adding more sugar till it reaches the desired taste and piping consistency. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until light and fluffy, scraping bowl often with rubber spatula. Pipe frosting on cupcakes and top with a miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and chopped peanuts.

Try not to eat them all at once.

Enjoy!