Hi-Hat Tie Dye Cupcakes
I’m adding a colorful twist to my hi-hat cupcakes with a tie dye frosting. It’s a fun surprise to bite into the chocolate shell and see a pop of color. These hi-hat tie-dye cupcakes are chocolate cupcakes and filled with colorful sprinkles, topped with a big swirl of marshmallowy 7-minute frosting and covered in a chocolate shell. These colorful cupcakes are perfect for kids. The colors of the cupcake frosting are completely up to you. I shared what I used below but you can also use pink and blue and make cute gender reveal cupcakes for a baby shower!
Ingredient Notes
Below are some notes on key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, see the recipe card below.
- Coffee: anytime you’re baking something chocolatey adding coffee doesn’t hurt. I often add espresso powder to brownies and for cakes and cupcakes such as these I add freshly brewed hot coffee. The coffee just enhances the chocolate flavor, the baked cake will not have a coffee flavor. If you prefer not to use coffee, you can substitute boiling water.
- Cocoa powder: If there’s one ingredient I usually go for a higher quality on its cocoa. My favorite is Guittard Cocoa Rouge. Another good one, slightly cheaper is Ghirardelli Unsweetened cocoa.
- Vegetable oil: I almost always go for oil over butter in chocolate layer cakes to make it super moist. You can use vegetable or canola oil.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have store-bought buttermilk you can easily substitute with milk and lemon juice. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice to a measuring cup and then add enough milk until you have 1/2 cup total. Let sit for about five minutes before adding to your batter.
- Food coloring: I prefer to use gel food coloring, such as AmeriColor. I used Lemon Yellow, Violet, Electric Pink and Teal.
- Chocolate: For these cupcakes I used Guittard’s Extra Dark Chocolate Chips. For ganaches and glazes, higher quality chocolate makes a difference. I recommend chopping up chocolate bars or using higher quality chops, such as Guittard or Ghirardelli for best results.
Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
To make the cupcake batter, preheat the oven to 350. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners. This recipe makes 12 cupcakes but can easily be doubled for more.
Stir together the hot coffee and cocoa to form a paste. Set aside to cool. In a separate bowl combine the all purpose flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In the large bowl of a stand mixer mix together the oil and sugar using the paddle attachment. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat just until combined.
The next step is to add the cooled cocoa mixture to the sugar mixture and mix on low speed to combine. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix on low just until incorporated.
Using an ice cream scoop or a spoon to divide batter between the cupcake liners. One scoop from an ice cream scoop is the perfect amount, they should be about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Move to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Filling the cupcakes
In order to fill the cupcake you will need to remove some of the cake in the center. You can use a cupcake corer, a spoon, or one of my favorite ways – a piping tip. I take the wide end of the tip and press down about halfway into the cupcake and then twist and remove. Remove the cupcake from the piping tip and repeat on the remaining cupcakes. I don’t put that piece of cake back on the cupcakes so you can snack on them or save them and turn them into cake pops. Fill each cupcake center with sprinkles.
7-minute tie dye frosting
7-minute frosting is very similar to a Swiss meringue and has a marshmallow-like taste and texture. It’s light and pairs perfectly with chocolate. You will need a double boiler which is a pot of shallow, simmering water and a heatproof bowl to sit above it. In the past I had used a handheld electric mixer and would beat the egg whites directly over the double boiler. Constantly mixing for 7 minutes though is a hassle so now I prefer to heat the mixture just until all the sugar is dissolved and then transfer the bowl to my stand mixer and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Divide the frosting into 4 bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring to each and mix.
Creating the tie dye effect
Place each color in its own piping bag. I am using disposable pastry bags but you can also use a ziploc bag with a corner cut off.
Spread a sheet of plastic wrap about 1 ft long on your counter or surface. Pipe a long of the first color, down the center lengthwise. Pipe a line of each remaining color alongside that one so they are touching. Fold the plastic wrap over from bottom to top to form a log. Twist the ends to seal the buttercream inside. Cut one end and place the cut side down into a large piping bag with about an inch cut off (no piping tip necessary). Pipe a tall swirl of frosting on top of the cupcake. Once frosted transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes before dipping in the chocolate glaze. To see more on piping colorful swirls checkout my story highlight.
Glazing the tie dye hi-hat cupcakes
While the cupcakes are freezing, prepare the chocolate glaze. Combine the chocolate and oil in a medium heat-proof bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each until smooth (about 90 seconds total). If there are air bubbles, run the glaze through a strainer. Let the glaze cool about 10 minutes or until cupcakes have been in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
Transfer glaze into a tall container. I used a large mug but a 2-cup measuring cup works too for dunking. You want to be able to dunk the cupcakes without hitting the bottom of the container. Dunk the cupcakes upside down in the glaze until all the frosting is covered. Add sprinkles to decorate. Refrigerate to set the glaze before eating.
Tie Dye Hi-Hat Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup hot coffee (or substitute hot water)
- sprinkles
- 3 egg whites
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Gel food colorings: blue, yellow, pink and purple (or colors of your choice)
- 2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners. This recipe makes 16 cupcakes.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer mix together the oil and the sugar.
- Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and beat just until combined.
- Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk.
- Add the hot coffee and mix on low just until incorporated.
- Using an ice cream scoop or a spoon fill the cupcake liners about ¾ of the way full. One scoop from an ice cream scoop is the perfect amount. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Move to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Using a spoon, the large side of a piping tip, or a cupcake corer remove some of the inside of each cupcake and fill with sprinkles.
- To make the frosting whisk together the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, salt and water in the bowl of a stand mixer (or other heatproof bowl). Set bowl over a pot of simmering water and continue to whisk 3-5 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved. The bowl should not touch the simmering water.
- Remove from heat and transfer the bowl to your stand mixer (or use handheld mixers) and beat on high for 7 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla and beat until combined.
- Divide the frosting into 4 bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring to each and mix. Place each color in its own piping bag.
- Spread a sheet of plastic wrap about 1 ft long on your counter or surface. Pipe a line of each color alongside each other. Fold the plastic wrap over from bottom to top to form a log. Twist the ends to seal the buttercream inside. Cut one end and place the cut side down into a piping bag with about an inch cut off (no piping tip necessary). To see how I pips swirled buttercream check out this story highlight: http://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17868979693703108/?hl=en
- Pipe tall swirls of frosting on each cupcake. Once frosted transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes before dipping in the chocolate glaze.
- While the cupcakes are freezing, prepare the chocolate glaze combine the chocolate and oil in a medium heat-proof bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each until smooth (about 90 seconds total). If there are air bubbles, run the glaze through a fine mesh strainer.
- Let the glaze cool about 10 minutes or until cupcakes have been in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
- Transfer glaze into a tall container. I used a large mug but a 2-cup measuring cup works too for dunking. You want to be able to dunk the cupcakes without hitting the bottom of the container.
- Dunk the cupcakes upside down in the glaze until all the frosting is covered. Add sprinkles to decorate. Refrigerate to set the glaze before eating.
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