Sweet Surprise Cupcakes

Sweet Surprise Cupcakes
during my student years, we had a fun girls’ tradition: every tuesday, we would meet at one of our places for a sweet induced sex and the city viewing party (tuesdays, because the french version was before the german on tv). each time, another girl would prepare her signature sweet dish. so we had everything from cupcakes to fancy tortes to simple ice cream or a candy mix. one thing that will stay for ever in my mind was my friend diane’s “moelleux au chocolat” cake; a rich, chocolaty cake, savored warm, with a liquid center. this moelleux was probably the single reason why i still don’t like to make molten or lava cakes myself – because it simply can not get any better than diane’s…
later i learned that you can (kind of) fake the effect of the liquid center if you add a lindt lindor praline to the center pre or post baking! my love of vanilla and white chocolate was enough to give me the idea for these hidden suprise cupcakes (well, not so much of a surprise now anymore, duh).

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disclaimer: you need a distinctive sweet tooth for these, but hey, comes in handy on some days? besides, the hummingbird bakery recipe for cupcakes and frosting are definitely worth the “perfect” and “best in class” predicate (yet again).
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sweet surprise (aka vanilla white lindor) cupcakes
makes about 10 to 12 cupcakes
recipe adapted from humminbird bakery

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ingredients for the cupcakes:
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
50 g butter, room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
1 vanilla bean, scraped

10-12 lindt lindor white pralines
10-12 cupcake liners

for the frosting:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
75 g butter, room temperature
1 vanilla bean, scraped
a couple of drops of your favorite food coloring, optional
10-12 blackberries, for garnish

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directions: 
preheat the oven to 375 f  / 190 c and line a muffin tray with cupcake liners. in a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla. mix well with a handmixer until the texture is crumbly and sandy. stir together egg and milk and add to the mixture bit by bit. mix until incorporated and the batter is smooth. fill into the prepared liners (3/4 full). bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cakes are slightly golden or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. let the cupcakes cool a little, then cut an x shape into each on the top. insert a lindor truffle into each cake, so that it almost hides on the top of the cupcake. let cool completely on a wire rack.

in the meantime, prepare the frosting. combine the confectioners’ sugar and butter in a bowl with a stand mixer. add the vanilla and milk spoon by spoon and mix for about 5 minutes until the frosting is fluffy and light and creamy. add a drop or two of pink food coloring for a blush pink effect. fill the frosting into a pipe with a round nozzle and decorate cupcakes. place a blackberry on top of each.

note: do not refrigerate as the lovely lindor core will harden.

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