High Altitude Chocolate Toffee Crunch Cupcakes
An easy recipe for moist and fluffy chocolate cupcakes, dipped in rich dark chocolate ganache and topped with crunchy toffee bits.
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Muffin Pans + 15 Paper Liners
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder (see note)
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp espresso powder or instant coffee, optional
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Ganache
- 3 oz good quality chocolate (55-70% cacao), finely chopped (see notes)
- 3 oz heavy whipping cream
- 8 oz toffee bits
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line your cupcake/muffin pans with 15 paper liners.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder.
- Add the eggs, milk, sour cream, oil and vanilla, and whisk until well combined, about 30 seconds.
- Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the batter into the muffin pan, filling the cups about 2/3 - 3/4 full. Bake the cupcakes on the center rack for about 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool several minutes in the pan, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Ganache
- Finely chop the chocolate and scrape it into a bowl.
- Pour the cream into a small saucepan. Over medium low heat, heat the cream just until hot and beginning to simmer around the edges. Remove the cream from the heat, and pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate.
- Let the mixture sit for three minutes, then stir with a spatula until smooth.
- Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the warm ganache. After dipping all the cupcakes, use a spoon to spoon any remaining ganache on top of the cupcakes, then smooth it out with a small icing spatula.
- Let the ganache set for about five minutes, then sprinkle the cupcakes generously with toffee bits, gently pressing them into the ganache.
- For a salty sweet finish, sprinkle the toffee with a pinch of flaky finishing salt, such as Maldon.
Notes
Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
For the ganache, I used Lindt 70% dark chocolate. If you want a slightly sweeter ganache, choose a chocolate that's around 55-60% cacao instead.
Note that the sugar in toffee can melt a little when exposed to moisture, so the toffee may not be as crunchy on the leftover cupcakes.
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