Have you been searching for an unforgettable, perfect chocolate cupcake recipe? I think it's fair to say your search will likely end here. While I was relaxing outside a light summer breeze that only evenings have to offer gently swept across my face, and I slowly sank my teeth through that whipped, lightly tangy, kissed with cocoa frosting and into the cupcakes fluffy, tender crumb with a moisture that was bound to stick to my teeth, then my taste buds touched that rich yet perfectly sweet chocolate divinity I knew my search was over. Pure bliss? Yes it was =).
The secret to this recipe is that I adapted it from one of my all time favorite cupcake recipes that I recently created, my Red Velvet Cupcakes. I knew how similar red velvet is to chocolate so I knew it would be fairly easy to create this one. Let me tell you I have been having a rough time creating the perfect white cupcake, maybe this was much easier for me because chocolate is my true love. Why settle for white when you can have chocolate? Life isn't complete without it.
My reason for choosing to pair this frosting with this cupcake is because I often get a brownie at a local bakery with a Chocolate Cream Cheese frosting and it goes perfect with the rich chocolate brownie. I've been meaning to make the frosting at home for quite some time now and I knew this was the cupcake for it. I love how well the frosting's gentle cream cheese flavor, along with the light taste of chocolate and it's sweet buttery richness compliments the chocolate cupcake. I didn't want an overpowering frosting, just one that would highlight the cupcakes perfection. And with a cupcake so incredible I'd say fancy frosting technique is required. I absolutely love the way the world famous Hummingbird Bakery decorates their cupcakes so I adapted that technique to frost these cupcakes. It's whipped perfection with a pronounced indentation to hold a generous pile of sprinkles right in the center. If it looks better it will taste better that's my theory. This is chocolate at it's finest. Enjoy and indulge a little!
P.S. in the unlikely event that you have any left over frosting, simply refrigerate it a few hours until firm and enjoy it by the spoonful - it tastes just like fudge when it's cold!
Yields about 15
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup salted butter, firm but not cold
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
one recipe Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and baking soda, set aside. In a separate large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer on medium speed, whip together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy about 3-4 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until combine. Measure out buttermilk in a liquid measuring cup and add vanilla extract to buttermilk then whisk to combine. Working in 2 separate batches, add buttermilk mixture followed by flour mixture to butter mixture, mixing just until combine after each addition (batter will be thick). Fill 15 paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake in preheated oven 18 - 22 minutes until toothpick inserted into the center of each cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool 5 minutes in muffin pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely then frost generously with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter, firm but not cold
6 oz cream cheese, cold
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder
3 1/3 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, with an electric hand mixer on medium speed, whip together butter and cream cheese until fluffy, about 1 minute. Stir in vanilla. Sift cocoa powder into mixture then blend until combine (you'll want to sift it to break up any lumps). Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth and fluffy.
Recipe Source: Cooking Classy
