River of chocolate cupcakes with chocolate mascarpone buttercream (gluten-free)

I thought Valentine's Day would be perfect for a river of chocolate! One of my friends spent a girls' weekend with me and we coined this term in remembrance of days we cried a river of tears, which anyone knows can be remedied by a river of chocolate!
Since everyone these days seems to be gifting me with fun trays (thanks to my dear cousin C, my son M, someone in a neigborhood group I follow)... you just arrange cakes and different types of chocolate in a tray and there you have it. That way you can bring your river of treats to the table or office for coffee or tea time, near the television, to an indulgent breakfast in bed...

For these cupcakes, I had a busy week and all the eggs from the fridge had mysteriously disappeared and I was being lazy trying not to go to the store. I made a first batch of dozen "cupcakes" and used gluten-free ingredients and the cupcakes were chewy and glutinous. I kept those because I myself personally love glutinous, reminded me of cannelés, so good toasted for breakfast!

Then I tried another batch without eggs and rising ingredient, what the heck was I thinking?! Those turned out hard and flat and like heart disks so I threw those out (keeping a handful for feeding the ducks).

The 3rd time around was the winning combo, so here's the batter :

100 g butter

100 g sugar
2 eggs

130 g flour (or gluten-free blend + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum)

1/3 cup milk + 2 tablespoons sour cream or yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Preheat oven to180 degrees C or 350 F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners or use silicone cupcake molds.In a bowl, cream butter add sugar, add eggs one at a time and mix on medium with a beater, then add all other wet ingredients. Fold in dry ingredients. Spoon batter into cupcake molds or liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Test the middle of a cupcake with a toothpick or thin knife which should come out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool on cooling rack. Here is a link for a silicon mold with 6 small hearts: https://amzn.to/3lbEYSH or larger 3-1/2 inch ramekin ones https://amzn.to/3ZY3QvY

Chocolate mascarpone buttercream frosting

100 g unsalted butter

200 g confectioners sugar

100 g mascarpone or cream cheese

100 ml or 1/2 cup whipping cream

70 g cocoa powder (Valrhona, Van Houten, or Nestlé)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

In a bowl, cream butter and confectioners sugar. Add softened mascarpone or cream cheese. Add all other ingredients and continue to mix until thickened, you should be able to have a spoon stand up straight in the cream. Refrigerate for about 3-4 hours. Remove from refrigerator and mix at medium speed for 1 minute to fluff. Careful not to overmix or the cream will separate. If the cream is too wet: add a teaspoon of powdered milk. If it is too hard, add a teaspoon or two of cream.

Optional : cut out the core (I used an apple core remover) and spoon some nutella, frosting or apricot jam inside the cupcakes. To decorate, use a spatula or piping bag to layer frosting on top of the cupcakes. This is entirely up to your creativity. I use 2 or 3 different piping nozzles and add fruit, raspberries this time for Valentine's, and sprinkles. For a river of chocolate, add chocolate kisses, candy bars, fruit, meringue, marcarons or whatever treats you have at home.

Enjoy, everyone!