Reminiscent of devil’s food cake, these supermoist cupcakes are topped with a chocolate ganache that has a little added bonus—Toasted Sunflower Seed and Almond Butter. Trust me, it won’t take long for all twenty-four to be gobbled up. For a kids’ party, decorate them with a sprinkle of candycoated sunflower seeds. If you can’t find Dutch-processed cocoa powder, substitute the natural variety, and don’t worry if you don’t have two cupcake tins; simply cook one batch, reline the pan, and bake the second batch. The cupcakes can be made one day in advance; store in an airtight container, at room temperature.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¼ cup white whole wheat flour, spooned and leveled
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ½ cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 0.66 cup Toasted Sunflower Seed and Almond Butter
How to Make It
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup standard muffin tins with liners.
- Whisk together the flours, granulated sugar, cocoa, light-brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Combine the butter and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Simmer until the butter is melted.
- Whisk the butter mixture into the dry ingredients until combined. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, being sure the first is fully incorporated before adding the second. Whisk in the vanilla and yogurt until combined. Divide the batter between the lined cups (about 1⁄3 cup each). Bake, rotating the tins front to back and top to bottom halfway, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes.
- Set the tins on a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then transfer to the wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes cool, make the ganache. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate (give the pan a few shakes to make sure that all of the chocolate is covered.) Let sit for 5 minutes then whisk until smooth. Whisk in the Toasted Sunflower Seed and Almond Butter until smooth. Frost the cupcakes with ganache.
