My first love will always be baking. Don't get me wrong, I love to cook too, but baking... those are my roots. (See above) I've been baking since my fine tuned motor skills kicked in and loving every minute of it. Some fine accomplishments have come from my love of the oven like mom's wedding cake (4 layer chocolate cake with chocolate raspberry mousse filling) and Eric will surely vouch for my cheesecakes.
The hardest thing about baking is that it is really expensive to make it gourmet sometimes. Some recipes call for cake flour, wild flower honey or some other use-once-obscure-ingredient. It's crazy! Likewise, some of us might feel pressured to show up with gourmet treats instead of a boxed-cake-mix-cake because it seems "cheap." Well no more!
Today's post is a delicious, dollar friendly, dessert, that does in fact use store bought cake mix AND frosting but with my little trick no one will ever know! It's all about customization. Feel free to experiment with your own flavors** but I've chosen chocolate for today, because really, who doesn't love chocolate?
Makes: 24 Cupcakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Total Cost: $9
Ingredients:
1 box Chocolate Cake Mix
Eggs, Oil and Water (See cake mix for measurements)
1 container Chocolate Frosting (I used the good Ol' Fashioned Chocolate)
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Instant Espresson (optional)
2 - 2 1/2 cups Spicy Chocolate Mousse (Recipe Follows)
Prepration:
Follow package directions on box for cake mix, however, add cinnamon and instant espresso to dry cake mix before adding liquid ingredients. Bake according to package directions or until a tooth pick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Using a small knife (or I used a reusable wine cork) poke a whole in the TOP of each cupcake. Do not poke all the way through the cupcake (about 3/4 the way through will do). Do not poke from the bottom because this will result in a HUGE mess. Put 1 cup of the mousse filling into a pastry bag (No pastry bag? Use a sandwich size zip lock bag. Cut the bottom corner to make a small 1/4 - 1/2 inch opening, fill with mousse and you've got yourself a pastry bag). Insert the tip of the bag into the hole in the cup cake and squeeze gently until the mousse starts to come out the top. Repeat with all cupcakes. Frost each cupcake with room temperature frosting either with a knife or pastry bag. Decorate to your liking and ENJOY! (Keep refrigerated if not eating right away, can be made one day in advance, but I suggest filling with mousse and frosting the day of the event)
Spicy Chocolate Mousse
Makes: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Estimated Cost: $4
Ingredients:
1 pint liquid Whip Cream
1 3.9 oz. box Chocolate Pudding Mix
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp. Instant Espresso
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 dash of Vanilla Extract
Preparation:
In a small bowl combine dry pudding mix, cayenne, ginger, espresso and cinnamon. In a large bowl pour in 1 pint of cold whip cream and vanilla, then add dry ingredients. Beat until well blended and stiff peaks form (about 1 - 2 minutes). Use to fill layer cakes, cupcakes, OR spoon 1/2 cup of mousse into 4 serving glasses and sprinkle with mixed berries for a light dessert.
**The cupcakes and mousse featured above can be made in many different flavors. I made Lemon Cupcakes filled with Vanilla pudding and frosted with Lemon Cream Cheese frosting made the same way. Into the bacon craze? Try using a Spice Cake filled with Maple Mousse and topped with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Bacon! Or use Angel Food cake with Strawberry Mousse filling and fresh Strawberries on top. The possibilities are endless and impressive! Just don't tell anyone they're from a box and they will never know!
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