Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Filling

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Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, bite into these moist chocolate cupcakes to reveal a delicious surprise — a creamy mint-flavored filling! These almost-homemade Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Filling have the most luscious chocolate frosting, too!

Get my easy recipe, plus a clever kitchen hack for making filled cupcakes without special equipment below.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Filling

We’re not Irish, but since my grandmother’s birthday was on March 17 we always had a fun and festive St. Patrick’s Day celebration in her honor. She’s gone now, but I know she would have loved these minty chocolate cupcakes!

Keep reading to see how this novice baker (me) made the most perfect cupcakes (sorry…I’m a bit proud of this baking project!) and get some tasty suggestions from a few of my blogging friends for your St. Patrick’s Day celebration, too.

Kitchen hack: cupcake holes

I’m not a professional baker and don’t own a lot of specialty equipment. The extent of my dessert making creativity is my collection of colorful sprinkles. I figure even I can’t mess up sprinkles!

So when I decided to make cream filled cupcakes, I wanted to find some way to cut the centers out of the cupcakes that didn’t involve a steady hand and a paring knife. I wanted all the holes to be equal and even, and didn’t trust myself with the task!

I discovered an odd gadget in my kitchen drawer — a lemon squeezer/keeper thingy — that worked perfectly for making and removing the cake holes.

The zigzag edge designed to screw into the top of a fresh lemon easily cut into the top of the cupcakes. Once inserted, I gave it a little turn and lifted out the center quite easily. The hole on the side made it easy to remove the cake and move on to the next cupcake.

What about the leftover cake holes?

If you have the will power — this chocolate cake is so good you may find yourself nibbling it up — save the cake removed from the cupcakes to make cake balls.

Cake balls are made by mixing crumbled up cake with frosting until you have a texture that’s not too wet, but will hold together when you shape it into balls.

Use the leftover cake and stir in some store bought frosting (it will be thicker than the chocolate frosting in this recipe) and experiment until you get the right mix.

Roll up the balls, then refrigerate them for an hour or two until they’re good and chilled. After that, dip them in melted candy coating and place on wax paper until dried completely.

What’s in the filling?

• Butter — A staple ingredient in frosting, butter helps hold this mixture together.
• Powdered sugar — Use powdered sugar made from cane sugar for the best results as it is less gritty.
• Creme De Menthe — Adds mint flavoring and green color to the filling. If the filling isn’t as green as you’d like, add a few drops of green food coloring.
• Marshmallow fluff — The secret to the best creamy filling ever!

Cupcake secrets

Following these simple tips can really make all the difference in the outcome of your homemade cupcakes.

• Bring all the batter ingredients to room temperature.
• Don’t over mix the batter and never use high speed on your mixer.
• Use a scoop to fill cupcake liners evenly.
• Bake in the center of the oven.
• Use quality cupcake liners sprayed lightly with cooking spray so they peel away easily.

St. Patrick’s Day recipes

• Irish Colcannon Casserole — Traditional colcannon is a basic potato dish, mixed with greens. My friend Julia at Julia’s Simply Southern puts Southern spin on this casserole that includes potatoes, kale, and BACON!
• Low Carb Cottage Pie — How about this healthy twist on a classic by my friend Chellie from Art From My Table? This delicious meat pie is made with ground turkey, fresh vegetables, and a creamy cauliflower mash topping loaded with garlic and cheese.
• Irish Soda Bread — This delicious dense, unleavened bread by my friend Norine at Norine’s Nest is scrumptious served warm right out of the oven with butter and your favorite jam or honey!
• For more casual gatherings, serve corned beef on my Super Coleslaw Reuben Sandwiches with melty Pepper Jack cheese and tangy coleslaw.
• My easy Mint Chocolate Chip Milkshake is made with mint chocolate chip ice cream (of course!) and is served up in a chocolate-drizzled glass just the way the pros do it in fancy ice cream parlors!

Final recipe tips

Using a pastry bag with a large tip is the easiest way to pipe the filling into the holes. When you do this, don’t over fill the cupcakes. Since you will be dipping the cupcakes into the frosting, a more level top will ensure a smooth finish.

The frosting will dry quickly, so if you plan to decorate with sprinkles it’s best to sprinkle each one as you go (instead of dipping all the cupcakes at one time). If the frosting becomes too thick during this process, just reheat for a few seconds in the microwave and continue.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Filling

Author: Sheila Thigpen

These moist chocolate cupcakes with rich fudge frosting have a delicious surprise — a minty cream filled center!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Total Time 48 minutes mins

Course Cakes

Cuisine American

Servings 18 cupcakes

Calories 227 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Cupcakes:

• 1 15.2 oz. box chocolate cake mix
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 3.4 oz. box instant chocolate pudding

Filling:

• 1 7 oz. jar marshmallow fluff
• 4 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons Creme De Menthe

Frosting

• 8 tablespoons 1 stick butter (room temperature)
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup milk

Instructions

 

Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, add cake mix, oil, buttermilk, eggs, and dry pudding mix. Beat until fully combined on medium speed. Line 2 muffin pans with 18 paper liners. Fill each muffin liner 3/4 full with batter.
• Bake 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center is removed clean. Cool cupcakes completely on a wire rack.
• Use a small knife or citrus cap (see post for tip) and remove cores from cupcakes.

Filling

• Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar and Creme De Menthe and mix until smooth. Add marshmallow fluff and mix until just combined. Place filling in a pastry bag with a large tip or in a large ziplock bag (cutting off the tip of a bottom corner).
• Pipe filling into each hole and fill to the top. Refrigerate cupcakes while making the frosting.

Frosting

• Beat butter, cocoa and vanilla until creamy. Add powdered sugar and milk and mix until smooth and creamy.
• Place frosting into a microwave safe bowl and microwave frosting 15-20 seconds. Stir until smooth.
• Dip each cupcake into frosting. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store in refrigerator.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Wonky Wonderful.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 227kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 2gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 96mgFiber: 1gSugar: 27g

Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Keyword cream filled, cupcake, marshmallow fluff, minty

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