Ingredients
8 oz dark chocolate
1 C butter (8 oz)
1 C brown sugar
4 eggs
4 heaping Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp dark cocoa powder
1 ½ Tbsp instant espresso
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
4 Tbsp sour cream
4 oz cocoa nibs
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare pan(s). Cut the chocolate into small pieces (marble size). Place into microwave safe bowl along with the butter. Heat for 1 minute at high heat and stir. Continue heating and stirring at 1 minute intervals until all of the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy when fully mixed. Beat the eggs and the sugar. Mix the sour cream into the chocolate mixture. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and instant espresso to the egg and sugar mixture. Add the vanilla bean paste and the chocolate mixture to the batter and mix well. Fold in half of the cocoa nibs. Pour into paper lined mini muffins (it is easier to put the batter into a large piping bag and pipe the batter into the little cupcake cups). If baking in a cake pan – line it with parchment and grease the pan. Sprinkle a few cocoa nibs on the top of each cupcake before baking.
Bake mini cupcakes for about 12 minutes, standard size cupcakes for about 20 minutes and a 10” pan for about 45 minutes. Check to make sure they are done by pressing the top – it should spring back. These cakes will puff-up quite a bit! Cool the cake in the pan.
To serve, top with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Yield – about 50 mini cupcakes, 24 regular sized cupcakes or 1 10” round cake.