Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes

[t.c.]

It turns out that a friend just had a birthday the other day and we're having a Cinco de Mayo/Kentucky Derby-themed BBQ this Saturday (Cinco de Derby, of course ). Anyway, I thought it would be great to make some Mexican chocolate cupcakes and serve them at the BBQ in celebration of her birthday. But I need some inspiration on how to go about making these cupcakes.

So far, I've had the following thoughts:

1. Make this Martha Stewart recipe for Mexican chocolate-pudding-filled cupcakes. But, with all the other BBQ prep going on, these could be a bit fussy.

2. Add some cinnamon to a regular old chocolate cupcake recipe. (Anyone have a good one?)

3. Locate a tried-and-true Mexican chocolate cupcake recipe. (No luck thus far--anyone have one?)

But which one to do? Or is there a better way? Needless to say, any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated!

[prasantrin]

I'd skip the Mexican chocolate and make some kind of chile chocolate cupcake--still Mexican-influenced, just not Mexican chocolate. Chockylit has a couple on her blog that look awesome, and much less fussy than the one from MS. Plus I think it would just be a more interesting dessert (for my taste buds, anyway).

[K8memphis]

I have one in recipegullet that is to die for. I actually use 2 heaping tablespoonsfull of saigon cinnamon and I now also use some gelatin in the filling. I have diddled with the chocolate changing this and that--it comes out best as written. Do add the cocoa too because it helps hold the whole thing up.

Viola

The cream cheese filling has sour cream in it and more lemon juice than vanilla and a bit of confectioner's sugar and the gelatin. Like I mix a whole envelope of plain gelatin in a half cup of water and bloom it and then just use one half of that mixture. There's probably twice as much cream cheese as sour cream-ish. Just kinda make it up--the gelatin saves you.

[emilyr]

My go-to Cinco de Mayo "Mexican" chocolate dessert is to make a regular brownie recipe (I use the Joy of Cooking recipe) with cinnamon and chilli added to it, as well as dark chocolate chips or chunks. I use a combination of a smoky chilli like ancho chilli powder with cayenne for a bit of a kick. My best friend made cupcakes a while ago where she mixed a brownie mix with a cake mix and they were really good. I was considering doing this for my recipe this year.

[LizD518]

My go-to Cinco de Mayo "Mexican" chocolate dessert is to make a regular brownie recipe (I use the Joy of Cooking recipe) with cinnamon and chilli added to it, as well as dark chocolate chips or chunks. I use a combination of a smoky chilli like ancho chilli powder with cayenne for a bit of a kick. My best friend made cupcakes a while ago where she mixed a brownie mix with a cake mix and they were really good. I was considering doing this for my recipe this year.

←

I second this. I've done pretty much the same thing - added slivered almonds at the recommendation of a recipie once, but I wasn't impressed with the result. But cinnamon & chili = yum yum yum!

[kalypso]

I've played around with Mexican chocolate quite a bit. It's kind of a pain to work with but usable. Mexican chocolate will usually have sugar, cinnamon and sometimes ground nuts added to it, the amounts of each will depend entirely upon the brand of chocolate. It doesn't melt well and it's a PITA to chop, but...there are ways to deal with that.

Use a sharp knife to chop it up (I've known people to take a hammer to a disc and simply smash it) and put it in a bowl. Cover it with whatever liquid is in the recipe and let it soak for 10-15 minutes until the sugar in the chocolate has dissolved. If the chocolate needs to be melted (like for brownies), you can heat the liquid first and pour it over the chocolate, or heat the liquid after the sugar has dissolved until the chocolate melts and cool to use. If it doesn't need to be melted just add the liquid and the chocolate melts during baking/cooking. The chocolate will always melt, it's the sugar and other additives that cause the problems.

Since there is added sugar in Mexican chocolate the amount of sugar in the recipe needs to be reduced to compensate for the sugar in the chocolate. I usually reduce it anywhere from 2 Tbls. to 1/4 cup. For brands like Ibarra or Abuelita reduce sugar in the recipe by 1/4 cup. For brands like Mayordomo or chocolate de metate only reduce by 2 Tbls.

In addition to the chile suggestion (dried chipotles <mecos> are also really good with chocolate also try adding a little ground clove and/or allspice to the dry ingredients. Use orange oil or an orange liqueur as part of the liquid. Chocolate, orange, spices and chile is a killer combination