Berries & Cream Cupcakes with Ganache Drip

Decadent and fluffy chocolate cupcakes topped with a fool-proof cream cheese frosting, medley of fresh BC berries and drizzle of silky dark chocolate ganache. These berries & cream cupcakes with ganache drip look visually beautiful and are actually so easy to make – a win-win combination!

A reminder to myself

Been feeling the weight of the world lately, just so exhausted and spent. I’ve been spending all of my free time on family and friends, trying to be social and not be the flake/ghost that I usually am. But honestly, I’m just not that kind of person. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed being by myself. It’s how I recharge and find peace.

This past weekend, I was supposed to spend time with others again but I finally shed the guilt of being MIA and decided that I needed the time more for myself than they needed my company. It sounds so selfish, even as I’m typing this I feel bad for feeling this way, but I just needed a break from socializing.

On Saturday night, I drove to a quiet beach, sat on a log and just watched the waves softly crash against the sand. In the dim of the moonlight, I breathed in the salty air and reconnected with myself again, finding ground.

How this recipe came about

This recipe for these berries & cream cupcakes with ganache drip is actually from 2016! I originally developed this for Issue No.1 of Create Magazine three summers ago. Holly, the editor and creator (Hi, Holly!) of that magazine was looking for a summer inspired dessert recipe to feature and she gave me free reign to make anything I wanted. So I chose to make these because nothing screams summer like BC Berries!

I never take for granted the opportunity to create something free reign. It allows to move freely in the kitchen, no hindrance from the need to meet certain criteria, themes or campaigns. Without that pressure, I was able to ditch what is usually a very methodical process and just be in the moment and go with the flow.

How to make these berries & cream cupcakes

To make these berries & cream cupcakes with ganache drip, you start with the chocolate cupcakes. I always use this recipe for chocolate cake and it has yet to fail me. The result is a moist and decadent chocolate cake every single time because the larger ratio of liquid to dry components and the addition of coffee.

Next, you make the cream cheese frosting. I don’t know if it’s just me, but every time I make cream cheese frosting it ends up being very soupy?! Was I overbeating it? Is the temperature of the ingredients all wrong? Did I add too much icing sugar? Maybe I didn’t add enough icing sugar? I tried a couple techniques and proportions and think I have finally settled on a fool-proof recipe that works for me. If you also struggle with cream cheese frosting, I left a few tips below!

Finally, you make the ganache and let it just cool at room temperature on the counter. The texture of the ganache should be just a little thicker than kefir so that when it drizzles, it layers on opaquely without thinning out or dribbling all the way down.

Putting it all together

For the look of these berries & cream cupcakes with ganache drip, I opted to unwrap the cupcakes and invert them because they look so visually appealing this way! Though must admit there are a few cons, such as increased surface area to drying out and they’re a little harder to hold. If you’re going this route, I would recommend a plate and fork.

To put it all together, top the cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. You can pipe it on or just apply it with a spoon/spatula, there’s no need for precision or fanciness here. Lastly, top it with a drizzle of shiny, silky ganache and top with berries!

How to make fool proof cream cheese frosting

After many, many failed batches of cream cheese frosting, I have finally found a few tips that help me get it right

• use COLD cream cheese, keep it in the fridge until you need it
• use ROOM TEMPERATURE butter, it melds better with the cream cheese
• beat on HIGH speed in SHORT bursts, this way it manipulates the mixture less but enough to get all the components blended
• SIFT the icing sugar, to prevent lumps of dry powdered sugar in your frosting

More cupcake recipes:

• Caramelized Bacon Weave Chocolate Cupcakes (ONE OF MY FAVS!)
• Earl Grey Cream Cheese Cupcakes with Edible Gold
• Hazelnut Praline Chocolate Cupcakes (think Ferrero Rocher)
• Gianduja and Nutella Vanilla Cupcakes
• Neapolitan Cupcakes

Recipe for berries & cream ganache drip cupcakes

Berries & Cream Ganache Drip Cupcakes

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Ingredients

  

Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup strong black coffee
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 brick cream cheese 250g, cold
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temp
• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar sifted

Ganache Drip

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Fresh BC Berries

Instructions

 

Chocolate Cupcakes

• In a large bowl, sift and whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar
• In a medium bowl, stir together the eggs and buttermilk, then add in the coffee, salt, and vegetable oil, stirring until well combined
• Bit by bit, pour in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Do not overmix, you will get tunnels in your cake. Batter will be very thin and that is normal!

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Beat butter until soft and creamy
• Cut cold cream cheese into cubes and add it in, beat on high speed in short bursts until mixture is spreadable but still quite solid
• Sift icing sugar and add all of it at the same time, beat on high for a few seconds until smooth and creamy. Do not overmix this step, you'll end up with a soupy frosting
• Use to frost cupcakes when they are cooled

Ganache Drip

• Chop up dark chocolate into small pieces and place in a small bowl
• Warm up the heavy cream in the microwave or on the stovetop until just starts to simmer.
• Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir gently until everything is well combined and shiny. You just made ganache - ta da!
• Let it sit on the counter until it cools then drizzle over top of cupcakes

Author: chocolate + connie

Course: Dessert

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a comment below and tag @chocolateandconnie on Instagram.

Cupcake recipe adapted from Hershey’s