I had the most difficult time trying to decide on an appropriately festive Cinco de Mayo dessert for today’s post. I’ve already blogged a lot of the classics so those were out. I considered ditching the dessert idea altogether and maybe sharing a frozen margarita instead, but I came up empty when I searched for orange liqueur in our pantry. What?! That’s a problem we’ll need to remedy before this weekend for sure π Finally, I remembered churros! If you can believe it, I’ve never actually had them, but what’s not to like about fried dough coated in cinnamon-sugar? Oh right, the frying. I’m actually not as opposed to frying at home as I used to be, but I just wasn’t in the mood this week.
Luckily, Lindsay of Love & Olive Oil came to the rescue with her cinnamon chocolate churro cupcakes. And let me tell you, she nailed it with these. The base is a cinnamon cupcake – fluffy and light, and best of all, one of the easiest cupcakes I’ve ever made. The cupcakes are filled with a creamy chocolate pudding infused with just a tiny hint of cinnamon spice. Finally, topping it all off is a dreamy chocolate whipped cream. I’ve always had a weakness for fresh whipped cream, but adding chocolate to the equation just takes it to another level entirely. Even if you happen to overbeat it slightly (oops!). I was super glad I didn’t have a lot of frosting leftover after piping the cupcakes because I probably would have grabbed a spoon from the drawer and done some serious damage…
I assembled these fully and stored them in the fridge overnight without any issues; the whipped cream held up perfectly. I probably wouldn’t do it much more than a day in advance though. Also, the cooking time for the pudding is going to seem really long as you read the recipe, but go with it. I took mine off early, thinking it was thick enough, but it never really set up and soupy pudding does not make the best cupcake filler. I rescued it by throwing it in a small saucepan and cooking longer, so that’s an option if you need it π
Happy Friday! If you’re looking for more Cinco de Mayo ideas, here are a few from the archives!
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos
Mexican Rice
Carnitas
Spicy Mexican Shredded Pork Tostadas
Grilled Quesadillas with Grilled Chicken, Tomatoes and Onions
Chicken Enchiladas Verdes
Mini Chicken Taco Cups
Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream
Beer Battered Fish Tacos
Tequila-Orange Grilled Shrimp
Margarita Cupcakes
Dulce de Leche Brownies
Dulce de Leche Cupcakes
Tres Leches Cupcakes
Cinnamon Chocolate Churro Cupcakes
barely adapted from Love and Olive Oil
Mexican Chocolate Pudding Filling
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon Cupcakes
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon meringue powder
Pinch of cream of tartar
Pinch of cinnamon
1 cup cold heavy cream
To make the pudding filling: In a heatproof bowl, whisk the cornstarch, sugar, salt, and cinnamon together. Slowly whisk in the milk until completely combined. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture thickens (it should coat the back of a spoon), about 15 minutes. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk to melt and combine. Continue cooking until the pudding is very thick and smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir in the vanilla extract. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the pudding (to prevent a skin from forming) and chill for at least 30 minutes.
To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
Sift the flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. In a 2-cup measuring cup combine the milk and vinegar and whisk to combine. Add the sugar, oil and vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared liners – about 3 tablespoons per cupcake or 2/3 full.
Bake for about 18 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the pan to a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes before removing them to the rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting: In a medium bowl, whisk the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, milk, meringue powder, cream of tartar and cinnamon until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes – the mixture will firm up. Using a hand mixer, gradually beat the heavy cream into the chocolate mixture until completely incorporated. Continue beating until the frosting is fluffy, and reaches medium peaks. Chill until ready to use.
To assemble the cupcakes: Use a small paring knife to cut a cone-shaped piece from the center of each cupcake. Fill the hole with the chocolate pudding, then replace the top portion of the cone (you’ll need to slice off the tip). Transfer the chocolate whipped cream frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a tip. Pipe frosting into a swirl on each cupcake.
Makes 12 cupcakes
Tracey, I’m pretty sure your blog posts have never popped up in my reader without me drooling at my screen (apart from the exception of when they’re alcoholic cause I’m tee total so I’m pretty glad the margarita post didn’t happen today!) and I’m glad because if it had have happened you might never have baked these beauties! seriously chocolate churro cupcakes? could there be anything better! I’m in love with churros and these cupcakes have just moved to number 1 on my ‘to bake list’! thanks for sharing!
I truly wish we could have a neighborhood of just food bloggers so we could all share these tasty treats!
They look incredible. I know you told me before but I can’t remember what you said…the tip you use to pipe your icing is the one I need b/c you have the most PERFECT frosting on all your cupcakes. Which one do you use again?
They look fantastic! I always feel like I am missing out by not posting a Cinco de Mayo recipe the day before, but it’ll just have to wait until tomorrow when I am done celebrating being alive π
Mmmm, now I’m totally jonesing for churros. Enjoy your Cinco de Mayo weekend! π
I’ve never had churros either, but I want to try some of these, for sure!
@Averie – No worries, it’s a large star tip that came with my Williams-Sonoma mechanical pastry bag. I mostly use disposable pastry bags these days but I still love that tip. It’s similar to the Wilton 2D, but slightly larger.
these look lovely and your cupcakes always look so perfect! a churro cupcake is like the perfect after-dinner dessert. what a great creation!
I actually made churros for this year’s Cinco de Mayo, but these cupcakes look amazing! I love the swirl of chocolate whipped cream… swoon…
this all looks great for cinco de mayo.
I think I love Cinco de Mayo simply because there are so many great recipes that come up on food blogs that I love. Churros are one of my favorite things, and I’ve never thought to pair the flavor with chocolate before. These look delicious!
These are perfect Tracey! I love the cinnamon. A great nod to churros!
These look perfect! Totally festive!
These look like a great cupcake in the spirit of Cinco De Mayo.
The cupcakes sound delicious, your have amazing frosting piping skills!
These look amazing!I love churros so I know I’d love these.
Thank you! I looked into the W.S. bag but feared a colossal mess every time and was like,…ummm…disposable, please π LOL
LOL, I was just discussing my love for churros with my boyfriend’s family last night. I kinda wish we made these for our cinco de mayo festivities but the way I see it, every day is a good day for chocolate churro cupcakes. Great thinkin!
Wow, they sound amazing! What a fun idea, and definitely perfect for Cinco de Mayo:-) Take care, Terra
In all my brainstorming of Mexican desserts, I’ve never thought to do a spin on the churro! Brilliant!
That frosting looks heavenly. I love a whiped cream forsting but have never made chocolate whipped cream frosting at home. I will have to try this…especially since churros are the bomb.
These are stunning! Love the idea, so pretty too!
I just made these last night and they turned out great!
I made two changes:
1) I forgot whole milk at the store, so I used a mix of 1%, half-and- half, and heavy cream.
2) I used a pastry bag and tip to fill the cupcakes.
I am also wondering if you can double the recipe. I know some recipes you can’t double because they don’t turn out as well.
@AMGT – So glad they turned out well for you! I haven’t tried doubling the recipe so I can’t say for sure how it would work. Like you said, sometimes recipes don’t take well to scaling. Since the cupcakes themselves are fairly easy, I might be tempted to just make 2 separate batches instead and take my chances on doubling the pudding the frosting. Good luck, let me know how it goes π
These sound delicious and look gorgeous! I’ll take a dozen π
I can’t find your email or a private way to contact you. I recognized your cupcakes from Pinterest and found them stolen on this blog http://cathdailyrecipe.blogspot.com/2012/05/cinnamon-chocolate-churro-cupcakes.html
Just trying to alert all that I can contact.
I’m too lazy to bake cupcakes, and I needed to feed a crowd for a taco night, so I doubled the recipe and baked it in two 10″ round pans. I had pudding and whipped cream leftover, but we’re not complaining. The cake was a hit with everyone.
I made these last weekend and loved them! π