Death By Black Friday Cupcakes (chocolate cupcakes with chocolate espresso cream filling and chocolate whip frosting)

It is time. That time every retail/food service worker has feared, ladies and gents Black Friday is upon us. Only in the great country of America can we justify waking up at the crack of dawn and trampling the young and weak to buy stuff the day after being thankful for what they already have.

Nah, I'm not bitter...

...but you know what IS bitter? And sweet, and rich, and sinfully delicious? These cupcakes (see what I did there?)

In order to boost moral and ease our suffering I decided to make cupcakes, but not just any cupcakes!
when designing such a cake, I knew it had to have three components:
Coffee - for energy and sustainability
Chocolate - for the soul
and a bit of booze - for obvious reasons

These cupcakes were super delicious. The cake itself is moist and rich which is offset by the hint of the cherry kirsch (aka my favorite alcohol to use in desserts, you might remember THESE). Also, I added coffee to the batter (to enhance that chocolate flavor) as well as the frosting, because you can never have too much coffee!!

If you're running low on time, you don't necessarily have to make the filling because the cupcakes are moist on their own, it's just a personal preference.

For the cupcakes...

makes 12 regular sized cupcakes, recipe adapted from Pretty.Simple.Sweet

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup hot, bold coffee

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2.In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3.In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. On medium speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Beat in the milk until combined. Add the other half of the dry ingredients and beat slowly until combined. Add hot coffee and beat just until combined. Do not over mix – the less you mix, the lighter the cake will be. The batter should be liquid-y.
4.Divide batter evenly between cups, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes (or 8-10 minutes if making mini cupcakes), until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Allow cupcakes to sit for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the filling...

1 TBS cherry kirsch (optional)
1 cup heavy cream
About 3 cups icing sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 pinch salt

Directions:

In a bowl start beating the heavy cream, either by hand (you're crazy) or with a whisk attachment. While beating slowly add the sugar, salt and kirsch until light and fluffy.

For the frosting...

1 cup confectionery sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream
1-2 TBS coffee, cooled
Pinch of salt
chocolate covered espresso beans for garnish

Directions:

1.Place whipping cream in mixing bowl. Shift remaining ingredients together and add to cream.
2.Mix in gently, then beat on high until a thick, frosting-like consistency forms.

To assemble: take cool muffin and cut a small hole out of the center (I would recommend getting one of these), add filling then plug it back up with the cake. Add frosting and devour.