Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes

Place chocolate, cream, and confectioners’ sugar in small microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high power until mixture is warm to touch, 10 to 30 seconds. Whisk until smooth; transfer to refrigerator and let stand until just chilled, no longer than 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 6 standard size muffin cups with paper liners. Place chocolate and cocoa in a mixing bowl and pour the hot coffee over. Whisk until smooth then cool in refrigerator for about 15 min. In another bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda together, set aside.

Whisk oil, eggs, vinegar and vanilla into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in the flour mixture. Divide batter between the baking cups and place 1 rounded spoon of ganache on top of each cupcake. Bake 17-19 minutes, until cupcakes are set and just firm to the touch. Cool completely on a rack before icing.

Combine sugar, egg whites and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl over a small pot of boiling water and whisk gently and constantly until the mixture reaches 150 on a thermometer, about 2-3 minutes.

Place bowl back in the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat at medium speed about 1-2 minutes. One piece at a time, add the butter, then the cooled melted chocolate and vanilla. Mix until combined, then increase speed to med-high and beat until light and fluffy. If your frosting doesn’t fluff up enough (which may be because ingredients weren’t at the exact right temperature), just throw the bowl into the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes and beat it chilled.