Ingredients
Filling/Frosting:
1 package (3.5 0z) “cook and serve” chocolate pudding mix
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tblspn unsalted butter
1 tspn vanilla extract
Cupcakes:
1 package (18.25 oz.) Devil’s Food cake mix
3 tblspn unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, well shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 cup chilled heavy cream, whipped
Maraschino cherries
Preparation
~Prepare the filling/frosting: Place the pudding mix and milk in a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture boils and thickens, 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the chocolate chips, butter and vanilla; stir until melted, 2 minutes. Cover pudding with plastic wrap placed directly on its surface to prevent skin from forming and let cool to room temperature, 45 minutes. ~Prepare Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. ~Blend cake mix, cocoa powder, buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer set on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again, if needed (batter should be thick and well combined). Spoon a heaping 1/4 cup into each cup, filling 2/3 of the way. ~Bake in middle of the oven until cupcakes are golden and spring back when lightly pressed, 17-20 minutes. Let cupcakes cool in pans on racks, 5 minutes. Remove 4 cupcakes from the pan, discarding paper, and crumble them into a bowl to make coarse crumbs. Remove remaining cupcakes from pans and place on racks to cool for 15 minutes before filling. ~Divide filling/frosting into 2 protions. Fit a pastry bag with a large round tip (you can also use a large ziploc bag with a tip)and spoon 1 cup of the filling portion into bag. Gently push the tip into the center of each cupcake and squirt a generous amount of pudding inside. Refill the bag as needed and repeat with remaining cupcakes. ~Dollop a heaping tablespoon of pudding from remaining portion on each cupcake, spreading slightly, then dollopo a spoonful of whipped cream on top of pudding. Garnish with a cherry. Reapeat with remaining cupcakes.
