• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Chocolate Cupcakes

• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, warm water, egg, and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and whisk just until combined (the batter will be thin).
• Fill the cupcake liners a little more than ½ way full (exactly 3 tablespoons) and bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer them over to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Ganache Filling

• In a small bowl, add the roughly chopped chocolate. Set aside.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the heavy whipping cream until bubbling (30-45 seconds). Pour the heavy cream over the chopped chocolate and allow it to sit for 3 minutes, then whisk together until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

Chocolate Frosting

• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy (about 1-2 minutes). Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and heavy cream and mix on low speed until combined (about 30 seconds). Then increase the speed to high and beat for another 1-2 minutes (frosting should be light and creamy).

Assemble

• Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a piping tip (or a small sharp knife) to carefully cut out the centers. Be careful not to go through the bottom of the cupcake. Fill each cupcake with the ganache filling (I placed mine in a piping bag).
• Frost the cupcakes. I placed the frosting in a piping bag and used the Wilton 1M piping tip. Add extra chopped chocolate crumbs to the top of each cupcake (optional).
• Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.