Warm Chocolate Cupcakes With Molten Centers

from Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn

Prepare Basic Chocolate Ganache, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill.

Prepare Cinnamon Creme Anglaise, cover with plastic wrap placed on the surface and put in refrigerator to chill.

Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 400. Lightly mist 24 cupcake cups with vegetable oil spray and dust with flour. Shake out excess flour. Set pans aside.

• Vegetable oil spray for misting pans

• All-purpose flour for dusting pans

• 1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil's food cake mix

• 1 cup water

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 3 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Place cake mix, water, oil, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop machine and scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and blend 11/2 to 2 minutes more, scraping sides of bowl again as needed. Batter should look well combined and thickened. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each prepared cup, filling three-quarters full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes.) Drop a heaping tablespoon of ganache onto the top of the batter in each cup. Place pans in oven.

Bake cupcakes until they bake 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 and place on wire racks for 1 minute. Run a dinner knife around edges of cupcake cups. Using end of knife, lift cupcakes up from bottoms of cups and carefully pick them out with your fingertips. Place on dessert plates, sift confectioners' sugar over the top and spoon creme anglaise in a pool around each cupcake. Serve warm. 

Cinnamon Creme Anglaise

2 cups whole milk
5 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Basic Chocolate Ganache
chilled at least 1 hour
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream8 ounces (11/3 cups)semisweet chocolate chips1 tablespoon liqueur of your choice or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)

Place cream in 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 cream from heat and pour over chocolate. Stir with a wooden spoon until chocolate has melted. Stir in liqueur, if desired.

Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or chill for 20 to 30 minutes so it thickens into a spreadable consistency. Use to frost or fill cupcakes of your choice.

* For a deeper flavor, try double-chocolate baking chips.

Makes 2 cups, enough to frost 24 cupcakes (21/2-inch size).