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Vanilla Sugar Pound Cupcakes with Red Wine Chocolate Ganache

  • Author: Smitten Kitchen
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x

Description

A fun and absurdly decadent treat.  These cupcakes are so rich, creamy, and chocolate-y they might replace dinner.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Cupcakes

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1.5 cups vanilla sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Ganache

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 8 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp red wine

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Prepare a cupcake tin with liners.
  2. Cream butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl until smooth.
  3. Add the sugar and beat on high for five minutes, until light and airy.
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time, then vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  5. Add the flour and salt together, and beat until just incorporated.
  6. Fill cupcake liners until 3/4 full, and shake gently to smooth the top.
  7. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
  8. Let cupcakes cool completely before making the ganache.
  9. For the ganache, heat the cream until almost boiling.
  10. Add to chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes before stirring. Stir until completely smooth, then add red wine and stir again.
  11. Let cool to your desired consistency, then pour over cupcakes. Let the ganache set before serving cupcakes.

Notes

  • Apparently Philadelphia brand cream cheese is the best for baking, as it has a lower water content than most other brands. I usually buy what is cheapest... but this is good to know!
  • The ganache can be tricky - I just wanted a thin glazed layer, but some of my cupcakes were too tall and therefore the liners didn't serve their purpose of holding the ganache in place. In that case, I let the ganache cool a bit more and then used it as more of a spread.