Prepare the chocolate cake by preheating the oven to 350° F. Place baking cups in muffin pans amd coat with cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine cocoa and boiling water. Stir until blended and smooth; cool cometely.

In a seperate bowl, beat butter with a mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition.

In another seperate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in extract.

Fill muffin pans 2/3 full. Bake 12-15 minutes. Cool in pans, then on wore rack 10-15 minutes each.

To prepare ganache, cook cream in a heavy nonaluminum saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, just until it begins to steam (do not boil); remove from heat. Place chocolate in a glass bowl. Slowly add hot cream to chocolate, beating with a whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is well blended. The mixture will thicken as it cools. Makes about 2 cups.

Fill each cupcake with ganache. To fill cupcakes, insert the end of a wooden spoon or dowel into the center of the cupcake to make a hole. Fill a zip-top plastic freezer bag with filling or frosting. Use scissors or kitchen shears to snip about 1/4 inch from one corner of the bag; insert bag into the hole in the cupcake. Squeeze gently until filling comes to the top of each cupcake.

To prepare frosting, beat first 5 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed 2 minutes or until creamy. Makes 3 cups.

Frost each cupcake with Mint Frosting. Top each with crumbled chocolate mints.