Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Fluff-Fondant Hearts

Since we were still working with a tight budget on Calvin's Birthday I decided to make him a special dinner and dessert. I just could not think of a better cupcake then to make him Chocolate Stout cupcakes. This of course meant adapting a chocolate cake recipe, which could have potentially failed horribly. But I gave it my best go anyways, and amazingly it worked! I adapted the recipe found on the side of the hershey cocoa powder container to work for this experiment (and I only made 1/2 a recipe which is 15 cupcakes).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Sugar
• 3/4 plus 2 T. Flour
• 1/4 plus 2 T. Cocoa Powder
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk (I used 2% but if you can get your hands on whole milk it would be even better!)
• 1/4 c. oil 
• 1 t. vanilla (or sub. 1 t. beer if you don't have vanilla)
• 1/2 c. beer brought to a near boil

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 and prepare your cupcake liners in cupcake tins. 

Step 2: Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl (or mixing bowl.) 

Step 3: Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium until combined (about 2 min). Stir in near boiling beer (batter will be thin). Pour into cupcake tins till about 3/4 full. 

Step 4: Bake in preheated oven until toothpick comes out clean (about 20-25 mins). Let them cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.*

*You could of course frost them with regular frosting, but my hubby doesn't like his cupcakes too sweet. So I opted for the little bit of sweet the fondant will add.

To make the Fluff fondant all you need it marshmallow fluff (which I always keep in the house, it is soooo good on hot chocolate) and powdered sugar. I start with a bowl and a blob of fluff. Then add about 3 times the powdered sugar then the fluff. Mix mix mix. 

 You will need to continue adding powdered sugar till you get a non sticky consistency. Once I get enough  sugar mixed in I use my hands to mix it. It is much easier to knead the fondant at this point to work in enough sugar.

Cover a cutting board in some powdered sugar and roll out your dough. Then go ahead and cut it into the shapes you want. It using cookie cutters just dip them in the sugar so they dont stick :)

Just dont roll it too thin or it will be hard to work with. I cut mine into hearts and using the tip of my finger spread some water on the cutout piece. This way I could get the sprinkles to stick.

There you have it! Delicious and adorable cupcakes!