Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Really Good Frosting

Adapted from Browneyed Baker & Tasty Kitchen

This is a dedication post for a special girl on her special day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOE!, from across the miles. This one’s for you. Hope you like the cute cupcakes. I definitely won’t win any prizes for icing a cake tho. But it’s made with love, so what if it’s lopsided ;). So sad you can’t be here to share it and I don’t think they’ll last til you come over. Sigh, I’ll just have to eat them then.

I came across 2 of the most interesting and delicious sounding recipes and had to try them out and what best way to do so than to incorporate both into one recipe.

I personally am not a cake person but definitely a sucker for dark chocolate. I'd eat cooking chocolate too, if nobody's looking ... shhh. Also not into icing and frosting for various reasons ... the cloying richness and the humidity here doesn't make one a happy baker when your buttercream frosting seems to have a mind of its own and decides it wants to be gravy instead. So when this frosting recipe popped up, I thought I'd give it another go.

Another amazing, away from the old school norm, recipe. Holds together beautifully. Tastes good too.

INGREDIENTS (CUPCAKES)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces


2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped


½ cup (1.5 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder


¾ cup (3.75 ounces) all-purpose flour


½ teaspoon baking soda


¾ teaspoon baking powder


2 eggs


¾ cup (5.25 ounces) granulated sugar


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


½ teaspoon table salt


½ cup (4 ounces) sour cream

METHOD

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 180˚C. Line muffin pan with baking cup liners.

2. Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and combined. Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

3. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

4. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogeneous and thick.

5. Divide the batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

6. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool before icing.

INGREDIENTS (FROSTING)

5 Tablespoons Flour

1 cup Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 cup Butter

1 cup Granulated Sugar (not Powdered Sugar!)

METHOD

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla.

While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add the cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.

Spread or pipe onto cooled cake, or in this case, cupcakes.

Leftover frosting can be refrigerated but needs to be re-whipped before use.