A no fuss chocolate cupcake with delicious cherry jam filling topped with chocolate ganache and vanilla buttercream.
Preheat oven to 180C
Line two muffin trays with cupcake papers
In a medium bowl, using a hand whisk, mix together eggs, oil and sour cream
Add coffee and water. Whisk until well combined
In a separate bowl, sift flour, bicarb soda and baking powder
Add castor sugar and cocoa. Hand whisk well until combined
Carefully pour wet mixture into the dry mix. Hand whisk until well combined
Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full
Bake in moderate oven 18 - 20 min or until firm to touch. Cool in tins for ten minutes before removing and cool completely on a wire rack.
When completely cool, using a sharp steak knife, cut a cone shape out of the top of each cupcake. Fill hole with generous teaspoons of store bought cherry jam. Pipe ganache and buttercream on top.
In a small saucepan heat 1/2 cup pouring cream until it starts to simmer.
In a separate bowl, finely chop 200g block of dark chocolate.
When cream is simmering with small bubbles, remove from heat and pour into chopped chocolate, ensuring all of the chocolate is covered. LET IT SIT for a few minutes before very carefully stirring with a spatula until ganache is smooth.
Leave the ganache at room temperature until it thickens enough to pipe onto cupcakes. Alternatively, put in fridge and keep an eye on it until it is a spreadable consistency, like soft peanut butter.
In an electric mixer on high speed, beat 125g unsalted butter until light and fluffy, approx 5 minutes.
Add vanilla bean paste and beat another minute.
Turn mixer onto low and carefully add icing mixture, a few tablespoons at a time. Add dashes of cream if it gets too thick. Keep adding icing mixture and cream until you get the desired consistency.
Pipe onto cupcakes