Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes
Celebrate with these Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes topped with a Dulce de leche buttercream.
Left with a container of chocolate cupcake batter from a Cupcake Wars Class the day before, inspiration hit me. Cinco de Mayo was the perfect opportunity to make a spicy Mexican Chocolate Cupcake. Adding a little spice to chocolate creates a beautiful combo of flavors.
How to make Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes
You can use your favorite chocolate cake batter or even a cake mix as the base for these cupcakes. I love to bake, but I am also very practical. Also, my years as a Betty Crocker blogger taught me how easy it is to create decadent treats from a boxed cake mix.
Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes are spiced with cinnamon and chili powder, maybe a hint of cayenne pepper. You want a slight hint of heat, nothing overpowering.
I decided to to my cupcakes with a Cinnamon Dulce de Leche buttercream. But there is more. I punched out a small circle from each cupcake and filled it with a bittersweet chocolate ganache. The final touch is a sprinkle of crushed cinnamon graham crackers and shavings of bittersweet chocolate.
Biting into these cupcakes you get a kick but also this decadent chocolate ganache and a creamy buttercream. It is so good. They will never know you made it from a boxed cake mix.
Ingredients for Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes
- Bittersweet Chocolate
- Cinnamon
- Chili Powder
- Cayenne Pepper
- Dulce de leche
- Cinnamon Graham Crackers (optional)
Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 24 cupcakes 1x
Description
Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes with a dulce de leche buttercream have a kick of spice of cayenne pepper with a buttercream sweetened with dulce de leche cream.
Ingredients
- 1 18.25 oz. box Milk Chocolate cake mix
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne
- 4 eggs
- 1 stick butter (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup dulce de leche
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar (more or less to achieve desired consistency)
- 1 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
- Add the first six cake ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until moistened, about 30 seconds. Add eggs one at a time, until the batter is well-mixed. Increase speed to high and beat until thick, 2 minutes longer.
- Pour or scoop the batter into the paper liners until they are 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool on a wire rack.
- To Make Frosting:
- Cream butter in an electric mixer on medium-speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Then add dulce de leche, vanilla and cinnamon and mix on low-speed until combined. Gradually add in the milk and powdered sugar, alternately, until combined. Then beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, another 3-5 minutes. (Add in more powdered sugar if consistency is too thin.)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Mexican
If you love chocolate here are a few other decadent desserts to try:
I am so excited you are making one of my recipes and would love to see how it turns out! Make sure to share it on instagram and tag me @advinthekitchen so I can see your creation!
