Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). This ensures that your cupcakes bake evenly.
Line your cupcake tin with cupcake liners. This will make for easy clean-up and give your cupcakes a beautiful finish.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, instant espresso, and sugar. Whisk these ingredients together until they are well blended.
In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir until the mixture is smooth.
Gradually add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring gently until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix, as this can lead to denser cupcakes.
Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips to your batter, ensuring they are evenly distributed.
Carefully stir in the boiling water. This step enhances the chocolate flavor and creates a moist batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full to allow for rising.
Place the cupcake tin in the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Once baked, remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare your cream filling of choice. You can use a simple vanilla buttercream by whipping together butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a splash of milk until fluffy.
Once the cupcakes are completely cool, use a small knife or a cupcake corer to remove the center of each cupcake. Fill the hollow with your cream filling, then replace the tops.
Frost the tops of your filled cupcakes with more cream filling or your desired frosting. Enjoy your delicious Cream Filled Chocolate Cupcakes!
