Chocolate Fluffernutter Cupcakes

Last Saturday, 9 p.m. I place 48 mini-cupcakes on a tray in my apartment.

Same day, 10 p.m. Where have all the cupcakes gone?

I've rarely seen something disappear so fast. Well, unless you count every time I make a pan of blondies, because they seem to evaporate in less than an hour. The problem with those, however, is that I know exactly where they went: in my stomach.

In the case of these little guys, I only had time to munch on one before I handed the last one out, so I'm guessing they were a success! Like I explained right here, I organized a Valentine's Day get-together for twenty or so friends last week. I wanted my guests to taste something new, that you wouldn't really know about in France. One distinctly American flavor combination went straight to my mind: the Fluffernutter. You may remember me discovering this a little while ago, and now I can't really get my hands off it. 

I definitely wanted to incorporate a sour cream chocolate base because I haven't found a single chocolate cake recipe I enjoy more than this one. Next, I thought that playing around with the frosting would be fun. I browsed around the web, my cookbooks, and especially my cupboards. See, you can't just go out to the nearest grocery store and buy a jar of Marshmallow Fluff around here. (I'm not complaining, though, because we have delicious things like crème de marrons that more than make up for it.) And it turns out I had exactly 1/2 cup of fluff left, so that pretty much structured my frosting recipe.

I would, however, recommend making mini-versions of these unless you're used to having rich peanut-butter-laden pastries. I could probably eat ten full-sized ones, but mini is probably the way to go for a party. Unless you're planning on serving cold jugs of milk instead of cocktails, which is an idea. But then you have to deal with all the lactose intolerants, the people who only like chocolate milk, or those who refuse to have anything but warm milk. I'd rather take the easy way out: gin and tonics.

P.S.: You might notice that the same post is going to appear in French in a little while. No, I'm not becoming a learn-by-baking language teacher, but I'm participating in a French "cupcake day". I am thinking about writing some posts on a French version of this blog--what do you think?

Chocolate Fluffernutter Cupcakes

makes approx. 50 mini-cupcakes

for the cake

1/2 cup boiling water

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups flour

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream (I used 4% crème fraîche)

1/2 TS salt 

1/2 TS baking powder

1/2 TS baking soda

1/2 TS vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.

In a large bowl, combine boiling water, butter, sugar, cocoa. Beat until sugar is dissolved.

 

Add dry ingredients, alternating with egg, sour cream, and vanilla extract. 

 

Fill cupcake cups about half full and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

for the frosting

1/2 c. marshmallow fluff

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1/3 c. butter, softened

1/4 TS salt

1/2 TS vanilla extract

1 c. confectioners' sugar

1 to 2 TB milk

Combine fluff, peanut butter, butter, salt, and vanilla with a mixer on low speed. 

Add confectioners' sugar, beat until blended, and add enough milk to reach desired consistency.