Chocolate Mint Cupcake Recipe

Imagine a cupcake crossed with an after dinner mint.

This chocolate mint cupcake recipe is devine.

They take a fair amount of work, but are worth the effort. These cupcakes are ideal as dessert at a dinner party.

The cupcakes have a slight chocolate peppermint flavor, and this combined with the chocolate peppermint mousse is sensational.

My suggestion is to make the mousse the day before. Then make the cakes the morning of, allow them to cool for an hour or two. Then put the mousse collars on, and allow to set in the fridge for several hours.

You will need to use very thin mints, so that they don't crack when cutting.

After our dinner party, one cupcake was left in the fridge. Neil and I shared it 2 days later and it still tasted fresh and fantastic. Wished there had been more left :-)

Ingredients
2½ oz (60g) dark chocolate
2/3 cup water
3½ oz (90g) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp peppermint essence
1 cup self-raising flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup almond meal

Mousse
11oz (300g) dark chocolate
1 tsp peppermint essence
1½ cup thickened cream
4 eggs, separated
4 tbsp superfine (caster) sugar

Decoration
16 thin square after dinner mints
cocoa powder for dusting

Cooking Directions

Mousse
1 Put the chocolate, essence and half the cream in a large bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
2 Stir until chocolate melted and it is a smooth mixture.
3 Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
4 While it is cooling beat the egg whites to soft peaks in a medium bowl.
5 Then gradually add the sugar, a bit at a time, to the egg whites and beat till dissolved.
6 In another small bowl beat the cream until thick.
7 By now the chocolate mixture should have cooled.
8 Lightly beat the egg yolks with a fork and stir into the chocolate mix.
9 Next fold the cream into the chocolate mix.
10 Now gently fold in the egg whites.
11 Cover and refrigerate for several hours (overnight is good).

Cupcakes
1 Preheat the oven to 330°F (170°C).
2 Line a 12 cupcake pan, with cupcake papers.
3 Take the 16 after dinner mints and cut shapes for the tops of the cakes (we used some small cutters and cut a variety of shapes). Set the shapes aside. Coarsely cut up the off cuts - we need these, so don't go eating them.
4 Put the chocolate and water in a small saucepan. Stir over a low heat until the chocolate melts and it all combines.
5 Using an electric beater, beat the butter, sugar, eggs and essence until smooth, light and fluffy.
6 Sift the flour, cocoa powder and almond meal into this mixture.
7 Add the chocolate mixture and the off-cuts of the mints.
8 Stir until combined.
9 Divide the mixture evenly between the cake cases.
10 Bake for about 30 minutes.
11 Remove tin from the oven, transfer cakes to a rack and cool.

Decoration

1 Fold up some collars for the cakes using foil.
2 Lightly grease each collar - we used a very light spray of oil.
3 Put collar around cake, as show in picture.
4 Spoon mousse onto each of the cakes.
5 Refigerate for 4 or more hours.
6 When ready to serve. Gently remove the collars and if you wish the papers.

7 Dust with cocoa powder.
8 Put the chocolate cut-outs on top.
9 Serve with extra thick cream and/or ice-cream.

Notes

Makes 12 Cup Cakes.
Store in fridge for up to 3 days.
A perfect end to a dinner party.