Candy Cane Dream Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Buki Elegbede • Baked by Buki

When I think of the holidays, the one thing I always think of are Andes Mints. My dad always used to get them, and although I’m actually not a mint or a chocolate person, those candies were the best to me. Here, they serve as inspiration for a candy cane-themed cupcake.

Photography By Jane Therese | November 08, 2019

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 18 Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
1 cup milk
10–12 Andes Creme De Menthe Chocolate Thins

For the Frosting

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Red and green gel food coloring
Special equipment: 2 paint brushes, piping bag and tip

Preparation

TO MAKE THE CUPCAKES:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the oil, butter and sugars at medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and beat until it is fully incorporated, pausing to scrape down the bowl if needed.

Sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa, espresso, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

With the mixer running on low, add the flour mixture and milk, alternating between wet and dry. (Start and end with dry.)

Chop the chocolates into fine chunks. Place the chopped chocolate in a separate bowl and add I tablespoon of flour; toss to coat. (This keeps the candies from sinking to the bottom of your cupcakes.) Add the Andes candies to the batter, and fold them in gently with a wooden spoon.

Scoop the batter into lined standard muffin pans using a #30 ice cream scoop (roughly 3 tablespoons per muffin cup). Place the pan in the oven and bake for 16-18 minutes, rotating halfway through. The cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean with a few crumbs.

Remove the muffin pan from the oven, set it on a wire rack and let it cool for 5 minutes. Then, remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them cool completely before frosting.

TO MAKE THE FROSTING:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, cream, peppermint extract, vanilla extract and salt at medium speed until smooth.

Add the confectioners' sugar to the mixture, ¼ cup at a time. The frosting should be stiff but not dry. If it is dry add a bit more cream.

TO PIPE THE FROSTING:

Cut the end off of your piping bag, and place the piping tip in the bag. (Baker's trick: you should cut the piping bag at the height of the tip so it fits perfectly.)

Fold the piping bag back. Using a separate paint brush for each color, paint a stripe on the interior of the bag, then rotate the bag and paint another stripe until you have 4 to 5 stripes. Don't be alarmed if the stripes aren't perfect. It will work itself out with the frosting.

Carefully spoon the frosting into the striped pipping bag. Unfold the ends and twist the bag closed to move the frosting down. Frost your cupcakes by rotating your hand in a circular motion, stacking the layers of frosting to achieve a candy cane look,