Fojos (Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes with Ancho Chili and Whipped Cream)

So bear with me for a bit, I'm gonna delve into old High School memories and ancient nerdiness of my best friend and me.

Janelle and I have known each other since we were about five, and we've been pretty damn close all that time. Back in our schoolin' days we often took on various art projects for our own fun and amusement, like drawing out elaborate comic books where my little brother would die a horrible death on every page, write stories, or even program 40+ hour role playing games (our first one's website is still up, only 12 hours long for a playthrough).

ANYWAYS, all of our creations always starred ourselves and two of our creations as companions. Mine was Bacon Goddess, a powerful being who spoke in Middle English, wore slutty leather outfits, and had the power of bacon which could turn things into bacon, pancetta, pork belly, etc. or use it to control universal chaos to blow shit up. Fojo was a red haired pyromaniac who loved bombs, had a robotic ferret named M.I.L.O. which turned into a flame thrower and a motorcycle, and often screamed out in joy whenever she set stuff like houses or people on fire.

I wanted to make some food to commemorate these characters whom I still love and adore. A bacon cupcake obviously isn't going to happen (I did think about it though) so I will give her a savory dish at some point. Fojo however, the crazy little vixen, gets a cupcake. I thought of doing a flambe cupcake, but all that butter and sugar but it seemed like a good way to explode myself, but I will revisit that idea later. So instead she gets rich chocolate and ancho chilies attributed to her.

Rich, sexy, and with a subtle-sweet kick, this cupcake is totally yumtastic. Ancho chilies are very sweet with only a little bit of heat and work as the backbone to many Mexican dishes including moles, so the combination of anchos and chocolate has a history of dancing well together. The whipped cream helps calm it all down a bit and lighten the overall texture and taste. By the by, this cupcake is TOTALLY GLUTEN FREE.

The picture of Bacon Goddess and Fojo was done by Janelle. She's a talented artist and if you need to have a piece of clever art designed she's a good person to go to. You can check out her website here. (SHAMELESS PLUG, GO!)

Hope you enjoy the cupcakes, and if you do be sure to check out the Chipotle Cinnamon Chocolate Cupcakes!

Update: I made the Bacon Goddess inspired cupcakes! Maple Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Frosting! Please be sure to check them out!

Flourless Ancho Chocolate Cupcakes
12 cupcakes / 350 degree oven

What You'll Need...
8 oz of semisweet chocolate (60% cacao)
3/4 cup of butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
4 eggs, separated, room temperature
2 1/2 tablespoons of ancho chili powder
pinch of salt

What You'll Do...
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt it with butter over hot water in a double boiler type fashion.
2) Beat the egg yolks with half of the sugar until light and creamy.
3) Fold in the melted butter and chocolate mixture to the egg mixture. Fold in the ancho chili.
4) Beat egg whites until frothy by using an electric mixer; gradually add the remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. For more great advice on working with egg whites, check out Shuna's post on Simply Recipes.
5) Fold in the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture.
6) Spoon into cupcake papers. Bake at 350 degrees until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 30 minutes. The cupcakes will collapse due to no flour.
7) Let cool for 8 minutes, then use a knife to slowly and carefully work out the cupcakes. They can be fragile but if they break or goosh a bit, whatever. You'll probably need a fork to eat these anyway. Put a mound of whipped cream on and dust with cocoa powder and serve.

Whipped Cream
What You’ll Need...
3 cups of heavy whipping cream
1/3 – 1/2 cup of powdered sugar

What You’ll Do...
Place together in a mixing bowl until big, billowy and holds very stiff peaks.