chocolate, coffee, cupcakes - yes please!

I found this recipe on Gluten Free Girl , a blog that I

have been reading for a few years now. I adore her writing,

her recipes, her lifestyle and just about everything about her.

She is mesmorizing, and so is her and her husband, Danny's

love for food and the preparation of it. Head on over there

and take a peek into their life - you will see, yes you will!

I can't wait to try this delicious looking cupcakes - yum!

Cupcakes

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)

1 package Bob's Red Mill gluten-free chocolate cake mix

2/3 cup applesauce (you can make you own, if you wish)

1/3 cup milk (this works with soy or rice milk too)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

(however, we were out, and used apple cider vinegar)

2 large eggs

1/3 cup hot water (110°)

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Preparing for baking.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Bring all the ingredients to room temperature.

Line a muffin tin with muffin liners.

Making the batter.

In the bowl of the stand mixer, start beating the butter until it is creamy.

Add the cake mix, the applesauce, the milk, the lemon juice, and the eggs.

Beat at low speed for 30 seconds, scraping down the sides when necessary.

Raise the speed to low-medium and let it run for another moment.

Add the hot water and the vanilla extract.

Run the mixer for one more minute, scraping down the sides.

Baking the cupcakes.

Carefully spoon the cupcake batter into the prepared muffin tins.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the cupcakes.

(In our oven, the regular-sized cupcakes took 17 minutes, the jumbo ones 20 minutes.)

Allow them to cool in the cupcake tin for 10 minutes.

Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack and let them sit for another 20 minutes before eating.

(I know. That's hard. But trust me.)

Frosting the cupcakes.

Coffee chocolate ganache

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon strong coffee grounds

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 ounces good dark chocolate

Bring the cream, coffee grounds, and vanilla extract to a boil.

Take them off the heat as soon as they boil.

Allow them to steep for half an hour.

Strain.

Break the chocolate into pieces and put into a bowl.

Bring the cream back to a boil.

Pour over the chocolate pieces.

This will melt the chocolate.

Stir until it is smooth.

Lavish the cupcake as fully as you wish with the ganache.

Oh darn, you'll have some ganache left over.

You'll have to figure out something to do with that.

Makes 16 cupcakes.