Curly-Q Cupper Cakes

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Mix chocolate cake batter as box directs (adding the additional required ingredients specified on the box) and add pudding at the same time while mixing. Bake as cupcakes according to box directions. When done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.

While waiting for cupcakes to cool, combine filling ingredients in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. If you are like me and do not have a hand mixer, use a heating pad set on high and wrap it around your stand mixer bowl while the mixer runs. Trust me … it works. (Thanks Alton Brown!) Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled. Reserve 1/2 cup of the filling to use for piping the swirls on top of the cupcakes at the end.

Once cupcakes are completely cooled, use an apple corer to cut out the center of each cupcake. Put cream filling in a piping bag or a ziptop bag with the corner cut off and pipe filling into the cupcakes. Once all cupcakes are filled, make the ganache.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat cream until steaming. Remove from the heat, add chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until smooth. Transfer the frosting to a small bowl and dip the top of each cupcake into it to thoroughly coat. Set the cupcakes on a sheet of parchment paper.

Spoon the reserved filling into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain tip and pipe swirls across the center of each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for 10 minutes to set the frosting.