A Gentleman’s Affair Cupcake: Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Cognac (Hennessy) Buttercream Frosting and a Cognac Caramel Sauce

I just found out that today is “World Chocolate Day.” What better day is it to post the recipe for double chocolate cupcake than today… Raiding my mini booze bottle stash, this tiny bottle of Hennessy has been eye balling me for a long time and i was waiting for a worthy cupcake to douse it in… and its finally time…

This is a combination of everything that goes with the chocolate.. chocolate, booze, oozy salted caramel and ofcourse a juicy stick of candied bacon strip.

Ingredients:
Salted Cognac Caramel:

• Caster sugar – 150gm / (3/4 cup)
• Heavy Cream – 125ml / (1/2 cup)
• Butter – 70gm – (1/3 cup)
• Cognac – 30ml – (1 tbsp)
• Sea salt – a pinch

Candied Bacon:

• Bacon Strips – 3
• Brown Sugar -50gm (1/4 cup)
• Cognac – 1 tablespoon

Double Chocolate Cupcake:

• Flour – 120gm (1 cup)
• Sugar – 100gm (1/2 cup)
• Butter – 100gm (1 stick)
• Eggs – 2
• Vanilla -1 teaspoon
• Baking Powder – 1 teaspoon
• Cocoa powder – 50gm (1/2 cup)
• Melted Dark Chocolate – 50gm (1/4 cup)
• Milk – 60ml (1/4 cup) 

Cognac (Hennessy) Buttercream Frosting:

• Butter – 100gm ( 1 stick)
• Icing Sugar – 250gm (2 cups)
• Hennessy – 1 1/2 Tablespoons

Method:
Salted Cognac Caramel​

• The recipe for the salted cognac caramel is similar to salted whiskey caramel, just switch the whiskey to cognac. 
• Click on the link for the recipe 

Candied Bacon:

• Preheat the oven to 220 degree celsius. 
• In a bowl, add the cognac and dip and soak the bacon slices for 15 minutes. 
• Line a silver foil on a cookie sheet, place the bacon strips on the sheet. 
• Sprinkle brown sugar on both sides of the bacon strips.
• Bake and candy the bacon slices for 30-40 mins until sticky and completely done. 
• Once candied, slice it up into pieces and store it in a container. 

Double Chocolate Cupcakes:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line the muffin tin with cupcake liners.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. 
• Add and beat one egg at a time. 
• Add the vanilla, melted chocolate into the mixture. 
• Sift the baking powder, cocoa powder and the baking powder. While simultaneously adding the milk. 
• Mix in thoroughly, scoop in the batter to 2/3rd of the cupcake liner. 
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, check from about 18 minutes. Check with a wooden skewer to see if completely baked. 
• Once baked, let it cool on a cooling rack. 

Cognac (Hennessy) Buttercream Frosting:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter until light, smooth and fluffy. 
• Sift and add 1/3 of the icing sugar. 
• Add the cognac. Sift the rest of the icing sugar and whip for a couple of minutes.  
• Once perfect consistency, frost away on the cooled cupcakes. 

Assembly:

• Frost the double chocolate cupcakes. 
• Stick a piece of the candied bacon slice. and douse it with a spoonful of salted cognac caramel sauce (while trying not to lick all of it off the spoon! )