Whether or not you think cupcakes are a waning fad, as long as there are children in the world and muffin pans for sale, we think they'll stick around. If you've got an apple corer handy ('tis the season, right?), you can make those cupcakes a little more sophisticated and surprising...
Once the cupcakes are baked, twist an apple corer down through the top, without hitting the bottom, and burrow out a little tunnel. Then use a piping bag to fill it with extra icing, if you're a sugar fiend, or squirt in some lemon curd, softened peanut butter, jam, or whipped cream.
You can cut off a small bit of the cylinder of cake you take out and use it as a plug, although that's not really necessary. The icing will cover up the hole.
Does anyone else make their cupcakes with a surprise filling? What's your favorite?
Related: Recipe: Classic Buttercream Frosting
(Flickr member pink_fish13, licensed under Creative Commons)
My favorite cupcake to make is the Red Velvet Surprise Cupcakes.
I use regular Red Velvet cake mix, adding chocolate chips to the mix.
I fill the bottom third of the cupcake tin with the Red Velvet cake mix.
On top of that goes the cream cheese "surprise".
Then more red velvet batter goes on top to encase the surprise. After baking, top with cream cheese icing. These things are a hit, trust me. Too rich to be true.
The cream cheese surprise filling is:
8 ounces cream cheese - softened to room temp.
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Stir it all together until well mixed. It'll be lumpy, but once baked, you won't even notice.
view Goosebucket's profile
mmm... velvet cake cupcakes? Count me in!!
view Tabitha (From Single to Married)'s profile
This reminds me of those turkey injector infomercials, where they squeeze all manner of fillings into poulty, cakes, donuts, etc. Kind of nauseating..
view spaceagemouse's profile
I make chocolate cupcakes with the same creamcheese surprise as Goosebucket.
This also makes me crave chocolate cupcakes with a mocha buttercream filling. Mmmm buttercream...
view revolution9's profile
This is awesome! Very clever. I've been meaning to make cupcakes!
Emily
view Emily Sneds's profile
I don't bake very often but my gf bakes cupcakes here and there. She uses a piping bag with a pastry tip to fill her cupcakes. Shortly after emerging from the oven (but not too hot) she inserts the pastry tip into the cupcake and squeezes out some filling from the piping bag. It usually works out very well.
view Plaid Ninja's profile
I'm with Plain Ninja--a #8 piping tip (even with minis) and a happy jab. I let my cupcakes cool down so their structure firms up all the way with cooling, then pipe something like chocolate ganache into the middle and straight up to the top.
view OneWallKitchen's profile
My mom's frosting method my whole life has been to cut a cone from the top, fill with icing, then replace the top. Makes the cupcakes easy to travel with and stack up. Not to mention getting frosting with almost every bite!
view bobcatsteph3's profile
My favorite filling? Make a small box of pudding using only half the usual amount of milk (I think that's one cup instead of the regular two), and mix with about 1/2 to 1 cup of peanut butter. INSANELY delicious, especially inside devils food cupcakes.
view Daffodil's profile
A paring knife, held at an angle, works better for me. More control, angle the knife tip inward toward the center of the cupcake and you'll get a little pyramid shaped plug, pop it out - fill the cupcake - pop the plug back in.
view Rucy's profile