Chocolate Mousse-Filled Cupcakes

These cupcakes are liked eating a chocolate-y homemade Ding Dong. While neither are healthy, these have to be better for you than those packaged processed things, right???

Cupcakes:

Prepare and bake one box of chocolate cake mix into cupcakes. Let cool on wire racks.

Mousse:

First whip 1 cup of whipping cream until thick. Stir together 4 Tablespoons of powdered sugar and 1 Tablespoon of instant clear gel (to stabilize cream). Add to whipped cream along with 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Whip until very thick. *You can also use an 8oz tub of whipped topping. (but why would you want to???)

Cream 4 oz softened cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Mix until smooth

Beat 1 3/4 cups milk with one 3 oz box of chocolate instant pudding mix until thick.

Mix together the pudding and cream cheese mixture.

Fold in whipped cream.

To fill cupcakes, remove centers from cupcakes using an apple corer. Be sure not to go all the way through the bottoms…

Place the filling into a piping bag or zipper bag (then clip off the corner). Pipe mousse into each cupcake.

*You will have extra mousse. But it’s yummy just to eat. You can make mini mud pie parfaits with Oreo cookie crumbs or just spoon it into bowls and enjoy! :o) Or make a few sand buckets for the kids… (see recipe HERE)

Ganache:

Bring 1 cup of heavy cream JUST to boiling. Pour over 1 1/2 cups of dark chocolate chips. Stir until melted and smooth. Drizzle over cupcakes.

*If I were to do it again, I’d cover the entire cupcake with the ganache rather than drizzling it over the top. I like lots of chocolate on my chocolate-filled chocolate cupcakes! ;o)

Place in fridge to set.

 Topping:

Melt 1/2 cup white chocolate chips in microwave. Microwave for 45 seconds or until chips become shiny. Stir well until smooth. Mix with 1/2 teaspoon of oil.

Place melted chips in piping bag with small tip or in a zipper bag (clip off a small piece of the corner).

Drizzle over tops of cupcakes.

Store in fridge.