Chocolate Heart Cupcakes

With Valentine's Day just around the corner. I started thinking of baked goods I could bring to work. Lately I've been developing and testing a lot of cookie recipes for a friend's business, and have neglected my cake tins and muffin pans. Last year, having started this new job, I decided to bring in some chocolate cupcakes to work.

I decided to use a basic chocolate cake recipe with a heart shaped cake topper. Knowing that the topper would have to be something easily punched out with a cookie cutter, I opted for my go to brownie recipe.

Also, instead of whipping up a chocolate ganache frosting, which I thought might be a bit of chocolate overkill (if that could be considered a thing), I decided to make some pink French buttercream frosting.

They went over quite well at work; there wasn't single one left by the end of the day. Often times when I'm cutting out shapes for cakes, or trimming cakes to make them even, I find myself with a lot of scraps or crumbs. Usually these are throw in the freezer for later use in impromptu trifles or berries. The leftover brownie bits, paired with some chocolate ganache and mousse made a little Valentine's Day treat for my Valentine!