German chocolate cupcakes

Set the oven to 350 and line a cupcake tin with papers.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine.

Chop two ounces of German's chocolate on a cutting board so there are no giant chunks.

Put the chocolate in a small bowl, add a quarter cup of hot coffee, let sit a few minutes and whisk until melted; reheat 30 seconds at half power in the microwave if needed.

Beat 84 grams of room temperature unsalted butter in a stand mixer with the paddle until creamy.

Add 250 grams of granulated sugar and mix on medium three to four minutes until smooth and fluffy.

Mix the sour cream with half a cup of whole milk until combined.

Add the eggs one at a time, then scrape down the bowl.

Add a teaspoon of vanilla and the cooled chocolate coffee mixture and mix on medium until fully combined.

Reduce to the lowest speed and add the flour in three additions alternating with the milk mixture.

Finish mixing by hand with a spatula, scraping the bottom, without overmixing or the cupcakes turn dense and bready.

Divide the batter evenly between 16 cupcake wells with a triggered scoop.

Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean; fill any empty wells halfway with water so everything bakes evenly.

For the frosting put the light brown sugar and the can of evaporated milk into a medium saucepan.

Add three egg yolks, the unsalted butter and a quarter teaspoon of salt.

Toast the chopped pecans on a baking tray at 350, stirring every four minutes, for maybe eight minutes or less until fragrant.

Whisk the frosting constantly over medium heat for about five minutes until the butter melts and it starts to bubble and thicken, getting into the corners of the pot so nothing scorches.

Off the heat mix in a teaspoon of vanilla, the sweetened shredded coconut and the toasted pecans.

Transfer to a bowl and chill in the fridge 30 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until spreadable.

For the optional ganache heat half a cup of heavy cream in a small pot over medium until steamy, watching that it does not boil over.

Chop the semi-sweet chocolate into even pieces and put it in a heatproof bowl.

Pour the steamy cream over the chocolate, set the bowl on the warm pot so the counter does not draw off the heat, let it sit a few minutes and whisk smooth.

Core the cupcakes with an apple corer or a knife, discarding or eating the caps.

Spoon or pipe ganache into each cupcake and replace the cap; a tablespoon of bourbon can be whisked into the ganache.

Scoop the coconut pecan frosting onto each cupcake and smooth the top.

Drizzle the remaining ganache over the top and finish with a toasted or candied pecan.