These chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate buttercream are light and fluffy, with a deep cocoa flavor and a salty pistachio crunch. Dark chocolate ganache adds richness, while the pistachios keep the three chocolate layers from tasting overly sweet. The tin swirl of buttercream gives you cake, ganache, crunch and white chocolate in every bite, without turning the cupcake into mostly topping. The recipe makes 12 cupcakes and takes 1 hour and 55 minutes including cooling. They are made for birthdays or a Sunday when only chocolate will do.
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In 2017, I spotted a white chocolate and pistachio bar at the store. I immediately thought the creamy white chocolate and salty pistachios sounded like a good combination. Because chocolate is always a good place to start, I turned that idea into these cupcakes.
The challenge was getting three kinds of chocolate into one cupcake without making every bite taste the same. The dark chocolate ganache gives it a deep chocolate flavor, while the salted pistachios add crunch and balance the sweetness.I also keep the layer of white chocolate buttercream thin. You get a little in every bite, but never a mouthful of topping.
I've baked these cupcakes on many occasions ever since. The usual response to that pistachio and white chocolate combination is simple: "Mmm, that's good." That reaction tells me the balance of chocolate, buttercream and pistachios works.
Why These Triple Chocolate Cupcakes Work
Three chocolate layers sound heavy, but each one has a different job. Cocoa gives the cupcake its deep flavor, dark chocolate makes the ganache rich and glossy and white chocolate adds a creamy finish.
The salted pistachios break up the soft layers with a crisp bite. Keep the buttercream swirl thin and every bite stays balanced instead of tasting like one big mouthful of frosting.
What do you need?
These cupcakes have three distinct chocolate layers: a soft cocoa cupcake, dark chocolate ganache and a thin swirl of white chocolate buttercream. Salted pistachios add crunch and balance the sweetness. Below, I explain the ingredients where the right choice matters.
Ingredients Chocolate Cupcakes
- Dutch-process cocoa powder: Use unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder. It gives the cupcakes a dark color and a smooth, deep chocolate flavor. Natural cocoa powder tastes different and will make the cupcakes lighter, so use the type listed in the recipe for the most consistent result.
- Sour cream: Keeps the cupcakes soft and moist and gives them a fuller flavor. It does not activate the baking powder, since baking powder already contains the acid it needs.
Ingredients Ganache and Topping
- Dark chocolate: Gives the ganache a deep chocolate flavor and balances the sweet buttercream. Milk chocolate also works, but the ganache will be sweeter and may stay a little softer.
- Egg whites: Use pasteurized egg whites and heat the egg whites and sugar to 160 °F (71 °C) while whisking. Check the temperature with a thermometer rather than relying only on whether the sugar has dissolve.
Preparation in 4 steps
Make these cupcakes in four steps: bake and cool the cupcakes, brush them with ganache and pistachios then finish with white chocolate buttercream.
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract. Turn the mixer to low. Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients, followed by ½ of the sour cream. Repeat, then finish with the remaining dry ingredients. Mix only until combined. Line a cupcake tray with paper liners and divide the batter evenly between them. Bake for 25 minutes. The tops should spring back when lightly pressed. A toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Let the cupcakes cool on a rack.
- Step 2: Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place it in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan until you see steam, but do not let it boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the ganache is smooth. Brush the cooled cupcakes with the ganache.
- Step 3: Sprinkle the chopped pistachios over the ganache for a salty crunch.
- Step 4: Place the egg whites, sugar and salt in a clean heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the water does not touch the bowl. Whisk until the mixture reaches 160°F (71°C), then keep it at that temperature for 5 minutes while whisking. Remove the bowl from the heat and beat for about 10 minutes, until stiff, glossy peaks form and the bowl feels cool. Gradually add the butter cubes and keep mixing until smooth. Melt the white chocolate, let it cool for 5 minutes and mix it into the buttercream. Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag and pipe thin swirls onto the cupcakes.
Tips for Light, Fluffy Triple Chocolate Cupcakes
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Room-temperature butter, eggs and sour cream mix more evenly giving the cupcakes a light, fluffy crumb
- Good Chocolate Matters: Use high-quality chocolate for the ganache to avoid an oily topping.
- Do Not Boil the Cream: Heat the cream until you see steam, but do not let it boil. Pour it over the chopped chocolate and stir until the ganache is smooth and glossy.
- Use a Clean Bowl: Make sure the bowl and whisk are clean and free from grease. Even a little grease can stop the egg whites from forming stiff peaks.
What to Serve These Cupcakes With
These cupcakes need nothing more than a cup of coffee or espresso, which cuts through the sweet chocolate layers. They also work well as part of a dessert table, just like my Tiramisu Cupcakes.
Building a full chocolate dessert table? Add my dark mascarpone chocolate mousse for something spoonable alongside the cupcakes. And if you want a fruitier contrast next to all that chocolate and pistachio, my raspberry brownie cake is a good match.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which cocoa powder should I use? Use unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder. It gives the cupcakes their dark color and smooth, deep cocoa flavor. Natural cocoa powder reacts differently in the batter, so do not swap it without testing the recipe again.
- Why does this recipe use sour cream? It keeps the cupcakes soft and moist and gives them a fuller flavor. The baking powder already contains the acid it needs, so it does not depend on the sour cream to work.
- Can I use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate for the ganache? Yes, but it will be sweeter and less intense.
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Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup Dutch unprocessed cocoa
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1½ stick butter, room temperature, unsalted
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 eggs, size L
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream
For the ganache
- 4 oz. dark chocolate, more than 70% cocoa, chopped
- ½ cup heavy cream
For the topping
- 3 tablespoons pistachios, shelled, salted, chopped
- 2 egg whites, size L, room temperature
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1½ stick butter, unsalted, in cubes
- 2½ oz. white chocolate
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
- Grease a muffin tin with butter and line it with paper cupcake liners.
- In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.¾ cup all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup Dutch unprocessed cocoa, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a mixer for about 3 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and pale yellow.1½ stick butter, ¾ cup sugar
- Add the eggs one at a time while continuing to mix on high speed. Mix in the vanilla extract.3 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add ⅓ of the flour mixture, then ½ of the sour cream, then another ⅓ of the flour mixture, the rest of the sour cream, and finish with the remaining flour. Mix just until combined.½ cup sour cream
- Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes from the tin and let them cool on a wire rack.
Ganache
- Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.4 oz. dark chocolate
- Heat the cream until it's hot but not boiling (you'll see steam rising).½ cup heavy cream
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the ganache is smooth.
- Brush the tops of the cooled cupcakes with the ganache.
Topping
- Sprinkle the ganache-covered cupcakes with chopped pistachios.3 tablespoons pistachios
- Place the egg whites, salt, and sugar in a clean heatproof bowl.2 egg whites, ⅓ cup sugar, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water (make sure the water doesn't touch the bowl).
- Beat the mixture with a whisk until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and use a mixer to beat on high speed for 10 minutes until stiff, glossy peaks form. The mixture should still be slightly warm.
- Gradually add the butter, beating until smooth.1½ stick butter
- Melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Remove from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.2½ oz. white chocolate
- Mix the melted chocolate into the egg white mixture (Italian meringue) until smooth.
- Transfer the white chocolate cream to a piping bag and pipe swirls onto the ganache-topped cupcakes.
Notes
- Refrigerator: Keep fully decorated cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Refrigerate them within 2 hours of decorating or serving. Take them out 30 minutes before serving so the cake and buttercream can soften. The pistachios will lose some crunch in the refrigerator, but the cupcakes will still taste good.
Nutrition
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