Black-Out Cupcakes (+ giveaway!)
First things first: yes, those are chocolate cupcakes topped with pudding and THEN coated in chocolate cake crumbs.
This recipe comes out of Kathleen King’s book Baking for Friends. You know Kathleen King, she’s the mastermind behind Tate’s Bake Shop in the Hamptons. I first heard about Tate’s Bake Shop while watching an episode of Barefoot Contessa on Food Network. Once Tate’s was on my radar, I knew I had to try these Tate’s famous chocolate chip cookies. When Rachel Ray featured the store-bought version of Tate’s cookies in her magazine and declared they were just as delicious as the ones from the bake shop, I was hooked.
When I saw these black-out pudding-topped chocolate cupcakes in the book, I knew I had to bake them. The recipe below is the full recipe that makes 15 cupcakes. I successfully halved the recipe (using 1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk) and got 7 cupcakes with just enough frosting. You cannot pile the frosting as high as you see it in the photo, however, so if you want super tall cupcakes, half the cupcake recipe but make the full batch of pudding frosting.
Now, for the giveaway!
Tate’s Bake Shop is giving away a huge basket of their famous baked goods. You know how sometimes you wish I gave you actual desserts instead of just recipes? Well, here ya go!
For a chance to win this amazing prize-pack full of 3 packs of cookies (chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and white chocolate chip macadamia nut), buttery raspberry bars, chocolate chip and walnut loaded blondies, and fudgey brownies, you must:
—leave a comment below telling me which holiday cookie you’re most looking forward to eating
For extra entries:
—Like Dessert For Two and Tate’s Bake Shop on Facebook (and leave me a comment telling me you did so)
—Tweet the following: Enter to win a dessert basket from @TatesBakeShop via @DessertForTwo here: http://www.dessertfortwo.com/2012/11/black-out-cupcakes-giveaway/
The giveaway ends Monday, December 3rd at noon. Good luck!
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 cups cake flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1½ teasspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ½ teasoon salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 2 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1½ cups water
- 1¼ cups sugar
- ½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350. Line 15 muffin cups with paper liners and lightly butter a 9-by-2″ round cake pan and line bottom with parchment or wax paper. Dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess.
- To make the chocolate cake: In a microwave on medium (50%), melt the chocolate, stirring at 30-second intervals until just melted, about 2 minutes. Let cool until tepid but still fluid.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a glass measuring cup, stir together the buttermilk and vanilla. In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar and butter with an electric mixer until the mixture is pale and fluffy, 3 minutes.
- One at a time, beat in the eggs and yolk. Beat in ⅓ of the flour mixture, followed by ½ of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat until flour is gone. Add the melted chocolate mixture. Gradually beat in the boiling water.
- Using a ⅓ cup measure, transfer the batter to the muffin cups, filling them about ¾ cup full. Spread the remaining batter in the cake pan.
- Bake the cupcakes for 25 minutes, but continue to bake the cake until set, about 5 minutes more. Let cool.
- Make the frosting: In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and ¼ cup of the water to make a paste. In a medium saucepan, whisk the remaining water with sugar, cocoa powder and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the cornstarch mixture and reduce heat to low, stirring often until mixture is as thick as pudding (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Add the chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes while chocolate melts, then transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool, pressing plastic wrap on the surface. Chill very well.
- Crumble the cake with your hands, then place the crumbs in a shallow bowl.
- Pile ⅓ cup of icing on each cupcake, shaping it into a dome with a small knife. Roll the edges of the cupcakes in the crumbs. Serve. (Cupcakes can be refrigerated for 1 day, but let stand at room temperature 2 hours before serving).
I love chocolate crinkle cookies and good old fashioned gingerbread. This giveaway looks great!
Chocolate chip cookies.
I’d like to try the chocolate chip cookies.
I think my very favorite is a linzer cookie with a little dab of chocolate frosting in the center
I’m most looking forward to candy cane cookies — which are NOT peppermint flavored! The soft dough (made with powdered sugar) is flavored with almond extract. My grandmother made them when I was growing up, and I started making them several years ago when she stopped doing holiday baking. They’re a favorite of mine and I think have become one of my husband’s favorites, too!
And I just liked you on facebook
My favorite are chocolate spritz!
I feel like Snickerdoodles are definitely a holiday cookie- and I love them!
Sirups Kager! Spicy sweet and wonderfully addictive.
I absolutely love SNICKERDOODLES,.
I like you on facebook
I like Tate’s Bake Shop on Face book
These cupcakes look seriously amazing!
I love the cake crumb topping! I’m going to have to have a go at these!
I’m really looking forward to Zimtserne or cinnamon stars, one of the most typical German Christmas cookies!
Actually, chocolate chip cookies and butterscotch oatmeal cookies are my favorites! Now If you were asking me about specialty cookies, it would be white chocolate Macademia!!
Chocolate chocolate chip cookies for me. My mom made them for every occasion, bake sale, etc when I was a kid and I made them for my daughter. These cookies now go into her “good luck with finals” college care package. They really bring back such happy memories this time of year.
tweeted
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Liked Dessert for Two and Tate’s Bake Shop on FB! Barb Stewart
And I already follow you on Facebook!
Coconut snowballs
I love to bake, but especially eat my moms Fruit and Nut Holiday Shortbread
i LOVE fudge! Does that count as a cookie? If not, frosted and decorated sugar cookies are great.
Chocolate chip for me, please!
I already like you on FB.
Buttery raspberry bars sound yummy!
I like you on facebook!
snow balls and then make some with homemade carmel in the middle
Like Dessert For Two and Tate’s Bake Shop on Facebook already
tweet https://twitter.com/cjsorel/status/273062267816398848
raspberry crumb squares and biscottis!!!!!
Chocolate chip cookies!
I liked you on facebook
I liked Tate’s Bake shop on facebook
I can’t wait to eat some Mudslide cookies – kind of like a brownie in a cookie!
I like you both on FB
Peanut Blossoms
Gingersnaps, definitely!
I like peanut blossoms!
I tweeted!
Chocolate chip!
No matter what cookies I make for the holidays, I always seem to head for the Chocolate chip cookies the most.
Those look great–both your cupcakes and the giveaway goodies! I always try new cookies at Christmas, so I’d say the ones I’m most excited about are the ones I haven’t made yet. Obviously, I have no idea if they’ve got faults yet, so they’re the best ones!
Cranberry Orange chocolate chip oatmeal cookie
I love Kahlua chocolate chip cookies!
Followed Dessert For Two on Facebook!
Followed Tate’s Bake Shop on Facebook!
I am looking forward to eating them all. LOL especially the chocolate crinkles and the lemon cookies.
And I tweeted! @prettysphinx
These look rich & fabulous – yumm
It’s not so much a cookie, but I can’t wait to have coconut oreo bonbons! My favorite!!!
I’m always down with gingersnaps – I could eat them all day long!
Gotta love “chocolate crinkles” from my childhood!
I’m looking forward to eating decorated Christmas sugar cookies!
I like you and Tate’s Bake Shop on FB.
I Tweeted: https://twitter.com/Dinky_Diner/status/273088762861473792
I am looking forward to JINGLES, yummmmm!
I like Pecan Tassies.
I cannot wait to make some jam-filled thumb prints! My Mom and I make them every year, but we use Dad’s thumb because then we can fill with more jam!!
I’m waiting for Cranberry Bliss Bars!
I look forward to gingerbread men!
I will love really chewy chocolate chip cookies forever and always, but I’m also looking forward to lime tea cookies this year!
I can’t wait to eat some gingersnaps!!
I’m looking forward to my mom’s sugar cookies!
Mexican Wedding Cookies, so buttery and tender! YUM
I love any kind of cookie but one of my favorite is a simple classic, the peanut butter blossom cookies! Thanks for the great giveaway!
I’m looking forward to making and then eating some good ole’ fashioned frosted sugar cookies. When I was a little kid my mom would let me help her in the kitchen when she made them. She’d let me choose and use the cookie cutters after she rolled out the dough, then she’d let me add the food coloring to the icing and smear ‘em on the cookies. Now that I’m an adult I kind of keep the tradition alive, even though I don’t have any children. I use the same exact recipe my mom used to use and they turn out tasting exactly like hers used to.
My favourite are Vanillekipferl (vanilla cookies) – soft and crumbly and of course made with real vanilla!
I’m looking forward to sugar cookies with honest to goodness BUTTER!! It’s all about the butter baby! I also liked you and Tate’s on F/B. My husband and I both love your recipes.
chocolate chip cookies for me
I’m most looking forward to eating sugar cookies because I found a perfect recipe a few years ago, and learned how to flood them last year.
I’m all over those brownies! They look sinfully rich
and I already like you on FB
Holy cupcakes! I need to find Tate’s, and eat my way through!
I am looking forward to sugar cookies for the holidays!
I am super excited for pizzelles and shortbread!
What wouldn’t I eat? Honestly. However, besides stuff we ONLY make at Xmas (count both German lebkucken and Italian queen cookies), I really like these Nick Malgiere things called “praline cookies”. They are so rich with nuts and so addictive that I AVOID making them because I will personally eat half of them.
Thanks so much for posting this recipe! Looks so yummy!
I liked both Dessert for Two and Tate’s Bake Shop on Facebook
My mom is the baker in the family and every Christmas she makes dozens of different kinds of cookies. The ones I’m looking forward to the most are her Neiman Marcus cookies. They have a little bit of everything in them!
I am not even mad about all of that chocolate. Not even one bit.
I love homemade fudge!
I’m going for almond flavored spritz cookies.
I am looking forward to snickerdoodles.
I love love the White Chocolate Chip Cherry cookies or I like the Chocolate Chip Eggnog Cheesecake bars.
It’s funny, as much as I like to bake, I hate baking cookies. So when it’s comes to Christmas, I’ll happily munch on my mother in law’s graham cracker toffee (my fave).
I look most forward to the giant ginger cookies that we’ve actually just added to our Christmas baking three years ago.
I “liked” the Dessert for Two Facebook page!
I “liked the Tate’s Bake Shop page!
I tweeted Enter to win a dessert basket from @TatesBakeShop via @DessertForTwo here: http://www.dessertfortwo.com/2012/11/black-out-cupcakes-giveaway/ as asked! Thanks for the chance to win
I tweeted about your giveaway on Twitter! Thanks for the chance to win
white chocolate chip macadamia nut
I like the chocolate chip cookies!
I’m not entering the giveaway (live in Canada) but did want to comment on how scrumptious those cupcakes look. Nice that you shared how to half the recipe successfully too.
German peffernusse rolled in powdered sugar!
Sugar cookie cutouts and gingerbread are two of our favorites.
I like Dessert for Two and Tate’s Bakeshop on Facebook.
My favorite are chocolate thumbprints filled with white chocolate and topped with crushed candy-canes.
I just can’t wait to get my hands on my aunts homemade garlic gingerbread cookies! FYI you can’t taste the garlic:-)
I can’t wait to bake/eat peanut blossoms!
These aren’t technically a cookie, but I do look forward to them every year. They are the Ritz Crackers with peanut butter in the middle and then dipped in chocolate. Yum!
Ohhh!! Candy Cane and Snickerdoodles – nothing says more than the holiday’s that those two things. Love it.
walkers ginger cookies.
My goodness those cupcakes look amazing. I’m totally drooling right now.
As for cookies, I’m looking forward to anything gooey and chewy really. Bring on the milk!
Hooray for the upcoming holiday cookie freak out! I have a recipe for some nutmeg drops I’m dying to try out, but I never get tired of frosted sugar cookies.
Gingersnaps made with lots of crystalized ginger, one of my favorite Ina Garten recipes.
These cupcakes look so delicious! Can’t wait for Rugelach.
I’m looking forward to krumkake! A Norwegian cookie that my grandmother taught me to make when I was just 12 years old. My favorite to make and to eat!
I “liked” on facebook!
I make a chocolate covered cherry cookie that is divine. Basically a cakey vanilla cookie, wrapped around a cherry, baked then dipped in chocolate. It’s either that or chocolate crinkle cookies. Too many cookies, can’t decide!
I “liked” both sites on facebook.
I have two holiday favorite molasses and Russian tea cakes.
I like Dessert for Two on Facebook.
I like Tate’s Bake Shop on Facebook.
I tweeted about your giveaway @liasim
I am most looking forward to Snickerdoodles
Oooh – so hard to decide. Love chocolate chip, but found some sugar cookies half dipped in white chocolate and then decorated with crushed peppermint last year that were out of this world!!!! But I’m guessing I would have to lump candy in with cookies (LOL) and go with either my fudge or grandmother’s divinity (fingers crossed for some good weather though – LOL)!
My favorite Christmas cookie isn’t really a cookie, but it’s close; I love peanut butter buckeyes!
Mexican wedding cookies
Cornflake Chewies – a cornflake, karo syrup, peanut butter mess of a cookie!
I can’t wait to eat classic cut-out sugar cookies iced and decorated
Christmas Cookies-Sugar cookies, decorated with all types of frosting and sprinkles.
Fudgy brownies
I love snowballs and chocolate crinkles! And I really love your blog!
i’d love to try the biscotti!
Any cookie with GINGER!
I LIKED you on FB too …
I am probably MOST excited for my mom’s famous TRIPLE chip cookies <3
I liked you on fb. It’s just my hubby and I now that our sons are grown and gone so it’s great to see some ideas for 2. The cookie I look forward to is the individual nut rolls that I make every year. I got the recipe years ago from an 80 year old woman who didn’t think I would be able to make them. I proved her wrong and have made them for almost 40 years. I also love my Mom’s recipe for Vanilla Treats, a spritz cookie made with loads of butter.
My favorite holiday cookie are traditional German Lebkuchen
frosted (preferably decorated) sugar cookies.
I just “liked” your page on FB. I’m looking forward to your posts!
Gingerbread!
First of all, these cupcakes are gorgeous!!!
Second of all, I can’t wait to make peppermint sugar cookies
I love to make and eat peacn sandies, or mexican wedding cookies but I hope to finally find and successfully make a soft sugar cookie with buttercream frosting. I am also thinking about making cinnamon roll cookies b/c my favorite food group are cinnamon rolls.
I want to try the oatmeal raisin cookies! they look so good and that’s exactly what i want for the holidays!
My mother always had numerous tins full of all different kinds of homemade cookies, it’s what I still look forward to each Christmas! It’s so much fun to open all the tins and nibble from a variety of family cookies! I am especially looking forward to my Mom’s chocolate chip cookies, her recipe makes a light crispy cookie that holds up to hot chocolate! I also look forward to the sugar cookies, cake brownies, good old fashioned peanut butter cookies, and what we used to call Chinese Pretzels, otherwise known as Rosettes!
I can’t wait for chocolate crinkle cookies!
Second, I’m a fan of YOU and Tate’s Bake Shop on Facebook!
Happy Baking
Gingerbread cookies for sure! They’re my absolute favorite!
I just love love love making the jam filled butter cookies. And this xmas I’m going to make German Choclate Cupcakes.
Oyuki Reply:
November 27th, 2012 at 3:18 pm
@ I liked both on FB.
Those look amazing! Thanks for the comment on my blog and continue to follow my sporadic posts! I hope wedding planning is going well for you! It’s a crazy time and you’re a busy woman!
The cookie I’m looking forward to for the holidays are my grandma’s everything bars… not sure if that is the actual name! I need to get her recipe!
xo
Michelle
Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies are a MUST for my holiday season! : )
Personally I am a fan of a good old chocolate chip cookie (can’t go wrong with a classic) but I am also excited to have some of my cousin’s famous (among my family at least) snicker doodles as well as my BFF’s peanut butter and kiss drop cookies! Yummy holidays here I come!!!
I love the gingerbread men! They are adorable
I love the butter cookies with pecans rolled in powdered sugar. I can’t remember what they’re called right now. They go by several different names I believe!
I am looking forward to making gooey butter cookies, St. Louis is famous for it’s gooey butter cake and these taste just like it!
I liked you on Facebook
I also liked Tate’s Bake Shop on Facebook
Cut out cookies/Sugar cookies….they take too much work for any ol’ occasion
I liked you on FB. I enjoy reading your site.
I gotta have the brownies. yummy!
I always look forward to my Swedish Oatmeal Cookies. Super thin (the recipe calls for 1 T of flour!) but buttery and wonderful!
I like Dessert for Two on Facebook
I like Tate’s Bake Shop on Facebook.
Mexican Wedding cookies!
I like you on Facebook. I love your blog!
I liked Tate’s on FB.
Rolled sugar cookies with almond buttercream frosting!
Wow, amazing cupcakes! They’re soooo chocolatey and I love the cake crumb topping – this is so unique and fun! Great giveaway! The chocolate chip walnut blondies sound magnificent!
I love all of the delicious foods that come out during the holidays! Woohoo!
I tweeted today ! Not sure if it’s a daly thing or not!
https://twitter.com/FLMOMSBLOG/status/273858417666424833
My Mom’s Oatmeal Raisin cookies…..not very exciting but no one makes a cookies like your own Mom does.
Chocolate chip!
My favorite Christmas cookie is the raspberry shortbread thumbprints or my mom’s date balls.
I am adding the bourbon balls to the cookie rotation this year because they went over so well at Thanksgiving!
ginger snaps are my favorite!
I’m looking forward to Lebkuchen, love the molasses and spices, yum! I also like you on Facebook.
My grandmother’s almond cookies… they just melt in your mouth!
My grandma makes these cookies called sand tarts. They are very thin sugar cookies brushed with egg white and chin moon on the top, and they have an almond slice on the top
definitely looking forward to those!
I also liked both Facebook pages
I love, love, love molasses cookies, especially ginger molasses cookies. The thicker and chewier, the better! And while I normally don’t like white chocolate, there’s something special about white chocolate cranberry cookies during Christmastime…
Yum these cupcakes look so tasty and so do all the treats in the giveaway! I’m most looking forward to eating the coconut button shortbread cookies my mom makes for Christmas.
I look forward to Amsh sugar cookies with glaze and colored sugar. As if the cookies aren’t yummy enough already…
Coconut Macaroons- dipped in chocolate.
The one Christmas cookie that I love to bake and eat each year is a pistachio ice box cookie.
It’s such a hard decision! I think my favorite it my grandmother’s sugar cookies. They are soooo good–everyone I make them for always wants the recipe!
I CANNOT WAIT to wolf down Martha Stewart’s recipe for ginger chocolate cookies. This is one recipe I don’t halve and only share with people I really REALLY like.
The Tate’s Bakeshop cookbook is definitely one of my favorites! Haven’t tried this recipe out though, so I’m excited! I’m definitely looking forward to peppermint bark (I know, technically not a cookie, but it’s my favorite holiday treat!) this season!
My moms almond butter cookies-delicious!
Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies with vanilla buttercream frosting! Yum
I love peanut butter blossoms!
probably choco chip bc it’s my favorite
Chocolate peppermint sandwich cookies!
I follow Dessert for Two and Tate’s Bakeshop on Facebook!
How I love this season, so many cookies to eat!! But I’m definitely most looking forward to eating gingersnap cookies studded with cranberries and walnuts with a nice cup of coffee.
I love sugar cookies made with the bright colored sugar sprinkled on top.
Looking forward to making (and then eating) sugar cookies with my nephew for Hannukah
karenreichmann@hotmail.com
I Like Dessert For Two and Tate’s Bake Shop on Facebook.
Snickerdoodles are my crack. And I already love you on Facebook
My all time favorite peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and rusian tea cakes.
Jam thumb prints!
The white chocolate chip macadamia nut and the chocolate chip and walnut loaded blondies.
Chocolate chip cookies!
I’m looking forward to sugar cookies with just a smidgen of frosting and sprinkles.
Snickerdoodles! for sure!
The holiday cookies I most look forward to eating are chocolate gingerbread cookies.
I’m eager to try browned butter snickerdoodles, a new recipe to me! But I’m also eager to taste my raspberry walnut bars…since I only make them during the holidays!! They are an oldie, but a goodie!
Peanut Butter Kisses!
I liked both sites. I made the cupcakes and they were fabulous.
Nancy
my dad’s molasses cookies are my favorite!
7 layer bars are my favorite, not quite a cookie but close!
I am a fan of dessert for two on facebook!
any cookie, brownie, bar, cupcake, cake…. raspberry bars! looooove raspberry bars.
Now that’s a hard one! If I’m cooking for myself, cranberry oatmeal white chocolate chip cookies. If I’m at my mom’s house, she makes these amazing Swedish (I think) cookies that are actually a layer or graham crackers, this amazing batter-type stuff with apricot jam in it, then another layer of graham crackers. The batter stuff just soaks into the graham crackers and then you chill them and oh my goodness! That reminds me, I need to get the recipe from my mom…
I liked both your page and Tate’s Bake Shop on FB!
I tweeted about the giveaway!
I’d love to try the white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookie, it sounds delicious!
I have a recipe for pistachio cherry cookies that I am super excited to make and eat : ) Happy holiday all….
chocolate chip shortbread cookies
I’m most looking forward to eating some Gingerbread Men. The smell, the taste definitely gets me in the mood for the holiday!!
I liked DFT on FB!
I liked Tate’s Bake Shop on FB.
I tweeted the giveaway here: https://twitter.com/365DaysofBaking/status/275616475220422656
I’m looking forward to my mom’s candy cane cookies. They’re delicious and fun!
Gotta love chocolate chip!