Cinco de Chili Chocolate Cupcakes with Chili Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) box devil’s food chocolate cake mix
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ancho chile pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground ancho chile pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, or more as needed
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract, or to taste
• 24 small dried red chiles

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners.

Empty the boxed cake mix into a mixing bowl, and whisk in 1 1/2 teaspoon of ground ancho chile and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat in the water, vegetable oil, and eggs; beat for 2 minutes. Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake cups, filling them 2/3 full.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Remove and cool completely before frosting.

In a bowl, sift 1 teaspoon of ground ancho chile, 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and the cinnamon with the confectioners' sugar. Beat in the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until the frosting is smooth; mix in the vanilla extract. Spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes in attractive swirls, and poke a small dried chile, stem-side up, into the frosting as a garnish.