Recipe: Warm Chocolate Cupcakes with Molten Centers (using cake mix)

WARM CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH MOLTEN CENTERS

FOR THE GANACHE:
3/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounces (1 1/3 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
FOR THE CUPCAKES:
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil's food cake mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Whipped cream (for garnish)

TO PREPARE THE GANACHE (NEEDS TO CHILL FOR 1 HOUR):
Place the cream in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a boil, stirring. Meanwhile, place the chocolate chips in a large stainless steel mixing bowl.

Remove the cream from heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate has melted.

Chill ganache, covered with plastic wrap for 1 hour.

TO MAKE CUPCAKES:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly mist 24 cupcake cups with vegetable oil spray and dust them with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.

Place the cake mix, water, oil, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds.

Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and blend 1 1/2 to 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed.

The batter should look well combined and thickened. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each prepared cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. Drop a heaping teaspoonful of ganache onto the top of the batter in each cup. Place the pans in the oven.

Bake the cupcakes until the cake bakes up around the ganache, the tops are domed, and the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 12 to 14 minutes.

Remove pans from oven; place on wire racks for 1 minute.

Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake cups, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips.

Place on dessert plates, sift confectioners' sugar over the top. Top with whipped cream.

Makes 22 to 24 cupcakes
Adapted from source: Cupcakes From the Cake Doctor by Anne Byrn