Chocolate Truffle Stuffed Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

A while back, one of my blogging friends mentioned that you could get a coupon for a FREE bag of Lindor Truffles.  Free chocolate?  Nobody in their right mind would pass that up, including me.  I came home that day with a bag full of Extra Dark Lindor Truffles just waiting to be used for something special.  And, what better way than to stuff a cupcake.  

I had seen the recipe for these cupcakes on The Sisters' Cafe.  But, rather than using a box mix, I intended to use my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe from RecipeGirl.  Then, because I still had a ton of oranges in my fridge, I was going to top them with orange cream cheese frosting.  Yum!

 

The chocolate cupcakes are super moist and have a deliciously dark chocolatey flavor.  I think they're even better than the Hershey's Chocolate Cake recipe (which was my former go-to).  The best part is when you cut these cupcakes open and the melted chocolate truffle center just flows out, almost like a chocolate lava cake.  It's one sweet surprise.

 

Alternately, of course, you could also chill these cupcakes which then gives you a solid rock of chocolate to bite into - your choice.  Either way, it's chocolatey orange heaven.  


Chocolate Truffle Stuffed Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting (adapted from RecipeGirl and The Sisters' Cafe)

1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 c. sugar (I used 1/2 c. white sugar and 1/2 c. brown sugar)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. hot water
1/2 c. vegetable or canola oil (I used melted butter)
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

12 Lindor chocolate truffles by Lindt

 Line a muffin tin with 12 liners.  Combine the melted butter with the sugars.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Mix in the cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add 1/2 cup of the flour and beat well to combine.  Add in 1/2 cup of hot water and mix well.  Add in the rest of the flour, then the rest of the hot water and mix well.  Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 full with the batter.

Bake at 350F for 5 min.   Then, lightly press a Lindor truffle into each  partially baked cupcake.  Let the cupcakes bake an additional 13-15 min. until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely, then frost with orange cream cheese frosting.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting (Sweet as Sugar Cookies)

8 oz. cream cheese (you can use 1/3 less fat)
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 1/4 c. powdered sugar
4 tsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tsp. orange zest  

Beat the cream cheese with the butter.  Add the orange juice, zest, and powdered sugar and beat until soft and fluffy.  Spread on the cooled cupcakes.

Makes 12 cupcakes