Almond-hazelnut cupcakes with ganache frosting

I don't make cupcakes very often but once in a while, I do get the urge.  I had all the ingredients I needed on hand so I decided to make these almond-hazelnut cupcakes with my favorite frosting - chocolate ganache - on top.  I kind of think that if I were a cupcake, I'd be something like this...a little nutty and full of semisweet chocolate flavor. 

I'm usually all about the cake and not a big fan of buttercream frosting,  icing, glazes and the like. But chocolate ganache is the exception.  That velvety smooth chocolate is hard for me to resist. Just stirring the cream and chocolate together, seeing that puddle of chocolate come together, and getting a whiff of that scent is like therapy for me.  And it tastes so good!

So in some ways, these cupcakes were an excuse for me to make and have some ganache frosting. And I'm happy to report that it all worked according to plan.  My husband and I really enjoyed these. The cupcakes are made with a combination of ground almonds and hazelnuts (two of my favorites), giving them interesting texture and flavor. The cupcakes themselves are relatively light, thanks in part to folding some beaten egg whites into the batter to lift them up.  I do realize I'm talking about cake and sugar so "light" is a relative term here but as far as cupcakes go, they are moist and spongy, not overly rich so they paired well as a balance to the decadent ganache on top.  

This is my kind of frosting!

The ganache frosting does hog a lot of the attention and take over a bit when you eat these cupcakes.  I'm totally okay with that.  For a more delicate touch, you could go with a fluffier butter-based dark chocolate frosting (part of the original recipe, actually) but I'm all for ganache, all the time.

* I'd like to send a "thank-you" over to Shannon at A Periodic Table.  As I was enjoying these very cupcakes with my husband a little over a week ago, she literally posted a recipe for almond cupcakes with ganache and said she had me in mind!  Thank you, Shannon!  Shannon's site is one of a treasured group of food blogs I've had the pleasure of discovering in the last year or so.  Thanks to her and many of you, I'm constantly being inspired and educated.  I eat better because of you and I'm not just sitting here talking to myself (like I figured I always would be) on this blog because of it, too.  Thank you all for stopping by occasionally and for your kind words and virtual pats on the back. I really appreciate it!  : )


The cupcakes:

These cupcakes are moist and spongy, made with a combination of all-purpose and cake flour, as well as an equal ratio of ground toasted almonds and hazelnuts.  If you prefer a milder flavor, you could always use a bit more almonds to hazelnuts.  I really like the classic pairing of hazelnut and chocolate such as we have here.

I made half a recipe, for 8 cupcakes.  That required a reasonable half stick of butter, some milk, granulated and dark brown sugar, and then 2 whipped egg whites to lighten them up.  

The ganache frosting:

When I make ganache, I generally go with equal parts chocolate to heavy cream.  I love a formula I can actually remember!  I used semi-sweet chocolate in this case and started with about 5 ounces of chocolate with an equal amount of cream. I had a bit of ganache leftover (which I didn't waste by rolling them into a couple of truffles) so I think 4 ounces of chocolate and cream should suffice for 8 cupcakes; it just depends on how heavy-headed you want to be.  

I used a touch of espresso powder to boost the chocolate flavor and added a little corn syrup for a little shine.  If you don't care about getting the gloss on the frosting, you can omit the corn syrup. Many ganache recipes call for corn syrup and/or a bit of butter and I often omit both.

I could look at these cupcakes all day!

Anybody craving a cupcake?


Recipes:

Almond-Hazelnut Cupcakes with Ganache Frosting
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

- For 8 cupcakes (half the original recipe) - 

Cupcakes:
1/4 cup whole unblanched almonds, toasted
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cake flour, sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons whole milk
2 large egg whites, at room temperature

Ganache:
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
1 tablespoon light corn syrup (optional - for shine)

Make cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a standard muffin tin with 8 paper liners.  In a food processor or small chopper, grind almonds and hazelnuts together until fine (but don't overprocess or you'll end up with nut butter).  

Sift flours, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl.  Whisk in the ground nuts.

Cream butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium-high speed until combined.  Beat in vanilla.  On low speed, add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 batches of milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients and beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites together to soft peaks (I do this by hand with a large whisk).  Fold egg whites into the batter in two additions.

Divide batter among the 8 cupcake liners.  They should be filled about three-quarters of the way. Bake, rotating the pan about midway, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.  Transfer the tin to a wire rack to and let cupcakes cool before gently removing them (they are just a bit fragile).  Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Make ganache frosting:
Place chocolate and espresso powder (if using) in a heatproof bowl.  Heat cream and corn syrup in a small skillet under medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it just begins to simmer.  Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for about a minute or so until chocolate begins to melt.  Whisk, starting in the center, and working outwards until smooth.  Let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until ganache thickens but is still fluid enough to spread over cupcakes. (The amount of time this takes depends on the temperature in the room.  It took about almost an hour in my case but you can speed the process up by placing ganache in the refrigerator and whisking occasionally. You need to keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn't thicken/harden too much to spread.  In that case, you will need to re-warm the mixture.)

Spread ganache over cooled cupcakes.  The finished cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 3 days.