Mini Chocolate Cupcakes With Multicolored Frosting Food

NANA'S CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH MINT FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Line 12 muffin cups with paper or foil liners. Mix cocoa and boiling water until smooth; cool completely., Beat butter and sugar until blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with applesauce, beating well after each addition. Beat in cocoa mixture., Fill prepared muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 15-18 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely., Beat confectioners' sugar, butter, cream and extract until smooth. If desired, tint frosting green with food coloring. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread over cupcakes. If desired, top with candies.

MINI CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH MULTICOLORED FROSTING

Steps:

• Line mini-muffin tins with mini paper liners. Divide chocolate cupcake batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 10 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.
• Reserve 1 cup frosting in a bowl. Divide remaining frosting among several bowls. (If making 1 color, place remaining frosting in a large bowl.) Dab a rubber spatula against a tiny drop of gel-paste coloring, and mix into a bowl of frosting. Add more, drop by drop, to reach desired color. Repeat with remaining frosting. If frosting is too dark, mix in some reserved white frosting. Frost cupcakes with tinted buttercream.

MINI CHOCOLATE GANACHE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 24-cup mini-muffin pan with paper liners. Combine the chocolate, cocoa powder and brown sugar in a large bowl; add the hot coffee and whisk until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
• Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Whisk the egg, egg yolk, vegetable oil, buttermilk and vanilla into the melted chocolate mixture. Add the flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Spoon a scant tablespoon of batter into each mini-muffin cup. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool a few minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting: Combine the heavy cream, corn syrup, butter and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat; add the chocolate and whisk until smooth, then let cool to room temperature. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a medium bowl; then carefully place it in the ice water and let sit, stirring every few minutes, until the frosting is thick enough to spread, about 15 minutes.
• Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe onto the cupcakes.