choc-mint mouse cupcakes

Ingredients:
Double Chocolate Mint Cake --
4 oz square after-dinner mints
2 oz dark chocolate, chopped coursely
2/3 cup water
6 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup self-rising flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup almond meal
1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder extra

Chocolate mousse --
5 oz dark chocolate, chopped roughly
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 eggs, separated
3 tbsp sugar

Instructions:
1. Make chocolate mousse -- Combine chocolate, extract and half the cream in a medium heatproof bowl over a medium pot of simmering water; stire until smooth. Cool mixture 5 minutes, then stir in egg yolks. Beat remainig cream in small bowl with electric mixture until soft peaks form. Beat egg whties in another small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form; add sugar radually, beat until dissolved. Fold cream into chocolate mixture, then egg whites. Spoon mixture into a shallow baking dish. Cover; refrigerate 4 hours until firm.

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 6 hole oversize or 12 hole standard muffin pan with paper baking cups.

3. For large cakes, using 1 1/2 inch long petal cutter, cut out petals from after-dinner mints. For small cakes, use 1/2 inch long petal cutter to cut petals from after-dinner mints. Coarsely chop remaining mint pieces; reserve for cake mixture.

4. COmbine chocolate and the water in small pot; stire over low heat until smooth.

5. Beat butter, extract, sugar and eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.

6. Stir in sifted flour and cocoa, slamond meal, warm chocolate mixture and reserved after-dinner mints. Divide mixture among baking cups; smooth surface.

7. Bake large cakes about 40 minutes, small cakes about 30 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.

8. Place a lightly greased collar of foil around each cake. Divide firm chocolate mousse evenly among tops of cake. Freeze cakes for about 30 minutes to help set the mousse quickly.

9. Dust mousse with extra sifted cocoa; arrange petals on top in a flower. Gentl remove foil; dip spatula in hot water and smooth sides of mousse.
Below is a picture of my attempt at making this recipe (sorry, I forgot to rotate the picture, so just lean your head to the right). I skipped the chocolate petal making part because I couldn't find after dinner mints. And I messed up the chocolate mousse part because I overlooked the part that said "refrigerate for 4 hours". Oops. So the mousse was a bit runny when I put onto the foiled lined cupcakes. But after a half hour of freezing, they looked okay. Most important, they tasted DELICIOUS. I love mint-chocolate and these were to die for. I still have a small bowl of the mint chocolate mousse left over too -- which is like a bowl of pudding now.
And this is a picture of how they're supposed to look like: See, big difference from what I created. I'll make to make another attempt at this recipe sometime later this summer.