Hot Fudge Sundae Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup +2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 Tbsp milk
• 3 Tbsp sour cream
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chopped mixed nuts )
• 12 maraschino cherries with stems
• 3/4 cup butter )
• Seeds of 1/2 a vanilla bean I sell them!
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk the granulated sugar with the brown sugar; don’t worry about a few brown sugar clumps. Whisk in the cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the boiling water to the cocoa mixture, whisking right away until smooth, about 15 – 20 seconds. Set the bowl aside for 5 minutes to cool.
2. With an electric hand mixer on low, mix in the canola oil until it disappears into the batter, about 10 seconds. Add the egg to the cocoa base and mix on low only until incorporated, about 5 seconds. Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla extract just until blended. Add the flour and mix only until no dry streaks remain. Pour in the milk and sour cream, then mix on low for 1 minute.
3. Spoon the batter into 12 muffin cups lined with paper, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes, until a toothpick poked into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes rest in the muffin tin for several minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool all the way. To help seal in moisture, you can transfer them to an airtight container after about 25 minutes of cooling.
4. Once the cupcakes are cool, pipe Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting over the tops. Drizzle each cupcake with chocolate sauce, scatter with nuts, add one more small dot of frosting, and finish with a maraschino cherry.
5. For the chocolate sauce, put the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream just to a boil in a small saucepan, then carefully pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Stir until the mixture is melted and smooth. Let it cool a little, just until it is no longer so loose.
6. For the Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting, add the butter and vanilla bean seeds to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the butter is very pale and extra fluffy, about 7 – 8 minutes, stopping often to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. If your paddle attachment scrapes the bowl as it runs, you can shorten that mixing time by several minutes.
7. Mix in the vanilla extract. Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar and the heavy cream, then mix on low until combined. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix on low until it is incorporated. Raise the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is airy and fluffy, about 5 – 6 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl often.