Jimmy's birthday was last Friday, and to help him celebrate I offered to make a batch of cupcakes for him to take to work. These, my friends, were what I consider to be a true labor of love. I've dubbed them "Jimmy Only Wants Chocolate" Cupcakes (since he kindly asked for me not to use any sort of funny/intense flavors) however I should have called them "Oh Yeah, You Had Better Love Me" Cupcakes - because they took about 3 hours on a work night. Granted, the three hours is because I bake slow, I like to clean up as I go if possible and I enjoy measuring things etc., but still...

Anyways, BuzzSugar let me borrow a book called Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans - who also wrote one of my favorite cookie books - and I debated over which ones to make. In the end, these ones stood out to me (the picture was beautiful, mine look nice, but not nearly as pretty as the stylized photo), and although it took hours (I essentially made 30 miniature layer cakes), it was actually one of the simplest recipes. So if you're in the mood for chocolate on chocolate topped with chocolate cupcakes, and are looking for something that will make people ooh & ahh, but really doesn't take more than just time, then check this recipe out. There are lots of pictures and details, so read more

Jimmy Only Likes Chocolate Cupcakes
Barely adapted from Chocolate-Covered Mint Meltaway Cupcakes in Cupcakes by Elinor Klivans (a highly recommend book!)

These measurements should make 28-32 normal sized cupcakes.

For Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes
6 oz unsweetened chocolate - chopped
2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter - at room temp
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup water

For Chocolate Fudge Filling
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
4 tbsp unsalted butter (1/2 stick) - cut into pieces
18 oz (3 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For Chocolate Fudge Glaze
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
5 tbsp unsalted butter - cut into pieces
7 1/2 tbsp light corn syrup
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp cinnamon schnapps - *see note

Make the Fudge Filling

• In large saucepan, heat the cream and butter over low heat. Cream should be hot and butter melted, but it should not boil. Tiny bubbles should form (sorta foamy looking, but not boiling - sorry didn't have a chance to snap the pic).
• Remove pan from heat and add in the chocolate chips. I tried to distribute them so that they were all actually in the cream. Set aside for about 30 seconds.
• Add in vanilla and whisk until it is smooth and all of the chocolate is melted.
• Transfer to a large bowl and stir in any flavor if desired (Jimmy likes chocolate on chocolate with chocolate, so no flavoring for us, however the book recommends 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract, but I think coffee or cinnamon would be great too). Cover and refrigerate until firm but is still soft to the touch (at least 1 1/2-2 hours).

Make the Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Line muffin tins with paper cupcake liners - spray with nonstick cooking spray - set aside.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in to medium bowl - set aside.
• Melt the chocolate until it is fully melted and smooth. I did it by placing it into a heatproof bowl on top of a pan of barely simmering water. You can use a double boiler if you have it, or the microwave. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl (or mixer - that's what I used) beat the butter and sugar until creamy. I did it for about 3 minutes on medium speed. You'll want to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl as you go along.
• On low speed, add the melted chocolate in until incorporated.
• Next turn up the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time - making sure each one blends in fully first.
• Add vanilla and continue to mix until the color has lightened slightly - about 1 minute.
• Mix in the sour cream, make sure no white streaks remain.
• On low speed, add 1/2 of the flour mixture, mix until incorporated.
• Mix in water.
• Mix in remaining flour mixture until it is fully mixed and the batter looks smooth.
• Fill each paper liner 2/3 full - try to fill them all with the same amount to ensure even doneness (although, if you notice I've got one fatty in the corner). Smooth out the tops with a spatula or spoon.
• Bake until tops fill firm and toothpick comes out clean - about 20 minutes - use this time to make the glaze. If you are baking two trays at a time, they can both go on the same rack. If there's not room, rotate pans 1/2 way through.
• Remove from oven and let sit in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
• Next carefully put a wire rack on top of the cupcakes (in pan) and invert to release them onto wire rack. Turn the cupcakes (top side up) to cool completely.

Make Glaze - sorry no pics, but it's really similar to the filling steps

• In large saucepan, heat the cream, corn syrup and butter over low heat. Cream should be hot and butter melted, but it should not boil. Tiny bubbles should form (sorta foamy looking, but not boiling - sorry didn't have a chance to snap the pic).
• Remove pan from heat and add in the chocolate chips. I tried to distribute them so that they were all actually in the cream. Set aside for about 30 seconds.
• Add in vanilla and whisk until it is smooth and all of the chocolate is melted. Add in cinnamon schnapps if desired (*note: I could taste it well when the chocolate was warm, but since these are served cold, it was hard to taste. You may want to add more to suit your tastes)
• Set aside at room temperature until it is thick enough to spread.

Cupcake Assembly

• Once cupcakes are completely cooled, remove paper liners and turn cupcakes upside down on wire rack.
• Cut cupcakes in half horizontally (so that you have a top and a bottom layer). Set tops aside for now.
• Remove filling from fridge and, using a whisk, beat the cold filling until the color lightens from a dark chocolate to a light chocolate. About 30 seconds until it has thickened a bit. Immediately spread about 2 tbsp of filling on top of each cupcake. Replace tops - the filling will quickly firm up again. Do this until all cupcakes have been assembled.
• Now it's time to glaze the cupcakes. I wasn't patient enough (it was already laaaaate) to wait until it got to the right consistency, so when I tried to spread it on, it was still too runny. So I set a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet covered with foil (easy clean-up) and poured spoonfuls of the glaze on top and spread it around on each cupcake. Once you have them all coated set aside for about 15 minutes or until the glaze has firmed.
• Spread a second layer of smooth glaze on to the cupcakes. This will help cover the crumb-filled first layer. If you look at my pictures though, you will see, they're only smooth on top, and are lumpy where the glaze dripped down. Not as pretty as I would have liked, but delicious.
• Before the glaze sets sprinkle shaved chocolate on top (shave a chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler to obtain shavings).
• Let sit for about 30 minutes to completely firm up. Serve immediately or cover & refrigerate and serve cold.

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