Hi All..Long story short - I wanted to make these cupcakes: (Actually just wanted them to LOOK like this:

http://www.bakersroyale.com/cupcakes/banana-split-cupcakes/

Made my own base cupcake - made my filling...used THEIR chocolate recipe (but used bittersweet cuz I couldn't find dark) and made my BUTTERCREAM (shortnening/butter).

When tasted - It was really bitter all together - my husband said its the buttercream/chocolate...

(But I've done cakes with buttercream/chocolate better and no bitterness....)

So then I searched High Hat cupcakes - because I knew that was (what I thought) buttercream and chocolate....So I used this recipe (which I guess is considered a 7minute frosting?)

http://www.marthastewart.com/951452/hi-hat-cupcakes

And never could get it up to 160deg (one 150)..went with it..tasted good..marshmallow-ey...piped it, and as it sat in the box over night, now its rock hard frosting - that tastes like Royal Icing... UGH not what in envisioned....

I Guess my question is - is it weird that my buttercream and chocolate together was bitter? I really want to use my recipe...as I tried a meringue base one once with butter and it never came together right- definitely coudnt pipe nice and high like in the original picture I posted....

I'm just bummed that the cupcakes I made aren't really good now that the frosting kinda ruined em..Sorry to make you click all these links..ive researched and googled and cant find anything..I just assumed buttercream and bittersweet chocolate shouldn't be so...bitter? Maybe a dif chocolate?

And another thing that confuses me...All the recipes I could find of Hi Hat cupcakes....ALL seem to use that egg/sugar (not butter) frosting...the one that got super crusty/hard on me...but their pictures all look super soft!

Ugh...just frustrated!

I have a ton of bittersweet chocolate, I mainly use it for baking.  I would go with a semisweet chocolate for BC.

and maybe add a little instant coffee?

hth

Thank you!  I think I'll try it with semi sweet and see - hopefully that'll be the fix!

I've had the same problem with meringue! I never add butter to mines, sometimes it turns out perfect, soft, and other times it comes out very "thick" and it hardens juat like you said. I hope someone can tell why this happens? I used a candy thermometer too.