Filled Monster Brain Cupcakes

CAKE
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup seedless jam (any berry type)
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup sucanat
3 eggs
1/3 cup milk

FILLING
1/2 pint whipping cream
1/4 cup seedless jam

FROSTING
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tbsp milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
food coloring

Preheat oven to 350º.  Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Microwave chocolate and jam on high for 1 minute.  Stir.  Microwave again for 30 seconds.  Stir until smooth.  You can also do this in a double boiler.  Allow to cool on counter.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.  In an electric mixer, mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.  Alternately add flour and milk in thirds.  Mix thoroughly.

When chocolate mixture is cool to the touch, slowly add it to the batter.  Mix well.

Let the batter sit for about 5 minutes.  Gently stir again by hand.  Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Let cool on cooling rack.

Using an apple corer, press corer into center of cupcake about 3/4 of the way through.  Pull out "core" and eat it.  :)  Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

Whip cream in medium bowl until stiff peaks form.  Add jam and gently mix in.  Fill pastry bag (or ziptop bag with corner cut off) with whipped cream mixture.  Fill cupcake holes with cream.

Mix powdered sugar, vanilla and butter.  Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until frosting is a spreadable consistency.  Add desired food colorings to make "brain" color.

Fill pastry bag (or ziptop bag with corner cut off) with frosting.  Using swirly zigzags, frost the tops of the cupcakes to look like brains.