Valentine Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Icing

"The Raven" is one of Edgar Allen Poe's most quoted poems. Due to its length I am posting a link to the poem. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/178713But I did come across this poem by Poe just in time for Valentine's Day. I was intrigued because it is an acrostic poem with a cryptic message at the bottom of the poem.
"A Valentine"
by Edgar Allan Poe
(published 1850)

For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,
Brightly expressive as the twins of Lœda,
Shall find her own sweet name, that, nestling lies
Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.
Search narrowly the lines! -- they hold a treasure
Divine -- a talisman -- an amulet
That must be worn at heart. Search well the measure --
The words -- the syllables! Do not forget
The trivialest point, or you may lose your labor!
And yet there is in this no Gordian knot
Which one might not undo without a sabre,
If one could merely comprehend the plot.
Enwritten upon the leaf where now are peering
Eyes scintillating soul, there lie perdus
Three eloquent words oft uttered in the hearing
Of poets, by poets -- as the name is a poet’s, too.
Its letters, although naturally lying
Like the knight Pinto -- Mendez Ferdinando --
Still form a synonym for Truth. -- Cease trying!
You will not read the riddle, though you do the best you can do.

Note: Poe wrote this poem for a specific person. The woman's name is hidden
within the text. Can you find it? Hint: it's in the form of an acrostic

Commentary This lyrical poem is written in the form of acrostic. Other than a poem, “A Valentine” is actually a riddle that Poe made to reveal his secret lover's name. Edgar Allen Poe composed “A Valentine” to express his affection for a woman, but he’s too afraid to directly tell her because she’s already married. Poe’s challenge for the readers is to solve the riddle within this poem.
Okay... I was stumped and needed help!!! But I was able to find this answer.

The riddle is the dominant feature of this poem, that’s the main factor that makes this poem so ingenious. Not only does it express the romantic words of the writer, Edgar Allen Poe also composed a hidden riddle within “A Valentine”. If you take the first letter from the first line, the second letter from the second line, the third letter from the third line, and so on until the end, the riddle of this poem will be revealed. The name of the woman who Poe is crazed about exists in every line throughout the whole poem, Frances Sargent Osgood. She was another great poetess who shares her secret affair with Poe through poems.

What a brillant use of a literary device. 

Well I was saving these cupcakes for Sunday for you. But since the MN weather has been so dreadful with another morning low of -24 (up north) I wanted to pass this recipe along. Perhaps someone there may need a day brightener. I believe a cupcake can do just that. 

Chocolate Cake with Ganache Icing
Cook's Notes: Imagine making a moist, chocolaty cake with a ganache topping and no mixer is needed. It's easy, tasty and your day will rock with just one slice.
Recipe from recipecritic.com and makes 10 cupcakes.
Cake Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder e.g. Hersheys
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup coffee, cooled
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache Ingredients: 

• 4 oz. heavy whipping cream ½ cup
• 4 oz. dark chocolate melting wafers or your preferred chocolate e.g. 1 bar Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate, broken into small pieces

Cake Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place paper cupcake liners in a 12 cup muffin pan 
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together coffee and buttermilk. Whisk in the vegetable oil, then egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined.
• Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and fold into the liquid mixture. Add salt and sugar and whisk until a smooth batter forms.
• Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup and add batter to each of 10 cupcake liners. 
• Bake 22-24 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes in pan and remove each cupcake. Set on a wire rack to cool completely. Add a sheet of wax paper under the cooling rack.
• Place cupcakes back into muffin tin.   

Chocolate Ganache Directions:

• Microwave the cream in a heat proof vessel for 50 - 55 seconds, watching it during the last few seconds to ensure it doesn’t boil over.
• Add the broken pieces of chocolate in a small mixing bowl and pour the hot cream over it. Allow it to stand for a minute or two before whisking it until the chocolate melts completely and the mixture is smooth. Let the ganache cool completely until it thickens but still pourable.
• The icing sets up fast so only do 2 cupcakes at a time. Drizzle the ganache over the top and add sprinkles. Refrigerate pan with cupcakes for 30 minutes to set icing.