{Christmas Eve} Dark Chocolate Truffle Gingerbread Cupcakes with Chocolate Bourbon Buttercream

This is my second Christmas post for the year. If you missed it, make sure you try out this home-made eggnog recipe I posted yesterday; I am an eggnog convert! These are seriously the most decadent and delicious cupcakes. They’re perfect for the Christmas season, but I can’t say I’ll be able to hold out and only have these once a year! A delicious gingerbread cupcake with a Lint dark chocolate truffle filling and a chocolate Bourbon buttercream. I mean, come on!

I adapted the gingerbread cupcake recipe slightly from Sally’s Baking Addiction to have the dark chocolate truffle filling. The frosting was recommended to me by Carlette of Foo(n)dee. It is delicious and pairs really well with the gingerbread flavour of the cupcakes.

For me this is a time to spend with family and remember who the special people in my life are. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas in which many special memories are made.

Dark Chocolate Truffle Gingerbread Cupcakes with Chocolate Bourbon Buttercream

Gingerbread Cupcake

Adapted slightly from Sally's Baking Addiction

115g unsalted butter

200g dark brown sugar (I used muscavado) 

1 egg (room temperature)

120 ml milk (room temperature)

156g molasses

1tsp vanilla essence

167g flour

1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4tsp salt

1tsp ground cinnamon

1/2tsp ground ginger

1/2tsp ground nutmeg

1/4tsp ground allspice

12 Lindor balls (I used dark chocolate)

1. Preheat oven to 180C and line a cupcake tin with liners.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar on a medium speed until creamy.
3. Add in the egg and mix until combined. Don't forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl when you in between mixing.
4. Add milk, molasses and vanilla essence until combined. Your mixture will look a bit lumpy and not so pretty, don't panic.
5. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and spices.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients while continually mixing on a low speed.
7. Fill the cupcake liners to two thirds full.
8. Bake for 7 minutes. Unwrap the Lindors while you wait.
9. Take the cupcakes out of the oven and drop a Lindor into the centre of each. Do not press down.
10. Bake for a further 13 minutes. Remove from the oven and place tin on a cooling rack.
11. Allow cupcakes to cool in tins for about ten minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely before icing.

Chocolate Bourbon Buttercream

From The Comfort of Cooking

225g dark chocolate

6 cups icing sugar

225g unsalted butter (room temperature)

90-100ml cream

2tsp vanilla essence

2tsp Bourbon whiskey (I used Jim Beam)

1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Start with 30 second intervals, stirring chocolate after each. As the chocolate gets closer to melted, melt the chocolate in 10 second intervals. 
2. Beat the butter, icing sugar, cream, vanilla and salt in a large bowl until combined. 
3. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat for another 2 minutes.
4. Add the Bourbon and chocolate and mix until well combined. If the icing is too thick, add a bit more cream.