Chocolate Cupcakes!!!

OK, I am so so excited to tell you about my latest creation, these are by far the best cupcakes ever created by moi! Finally a balance of moist cake and way too yummy icing, you are for sure going to want to make these ones......

May I remind you that it was two months ago or so was when I started the quest for cupcake perfection. Everyone who reads this MUST be confident that they too can do this! Don't leave it for Martha, I swear anyone can make these! I always have loved baking and never buy muffins, cookies or brownies, but for some reason cake was always harder for me and I relied on ol' Betty Crocker to save the day. No more my friends, no more!

Today, in honour of girls night tonight, I made chocolate cupcakes with a chocolate french buttercream. This is my second time baking this cake recipe and I love it! Super moist and yummy. This was my first shot at a chocolate french buttercream, but a few weeks ago was my first try at the vanilla french buttercream.
French buttercream is far superior to a regular buttercream I have found. It's super fluffy, creamy and melt in your mouth, and there is no crazy sugary taste either. A little more difficult to make, but if I can do it, you can!

So here it is.....

Chocolate Cake

(found this recipe somewhere, cant remember where as it is written down on a piece of construction paper covered in batter...)

This recipe is for 12 cupcakes

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup + 2 TBSP flour (I used the cake and pastry flour, but all purpose is fine)
1/4cup  + 2 TBSP cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil (I used canola)
1 tsp vanilla
TIP: have your eggs and milk at room temperature, I didn't last time I made this but did this time and the cake seemed better..... 

1/2 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350

Sift all of the dry ingredients together and mix

Mix the wet ingredients, except the water!! (so...egg, milk, oil and vanilla) until combined.

Alternate the dry and hot water into the wet, stirring until just combined.

It will look pretty watery, this is ok!!

Fill up your muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes, check with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.

Cool completely before icing!!!!

Now for the icing....

Chocolate French Buttercream Icing



1 cup unsalted butter (I only has salted, and it tastes good, but unsalted would be better)
(have butter softened to room temp and mush it up with a spoon a bit)

1/2 cup + 1 TBSP granulated sugar ( NOT powdered!!!)

1/8 tsp cream of tartar (I have never bought or seen this in my life, so I left it out, my icing was still fab!)

1/4 cup water

4 large egg yolks


Separate the egg yolks and beat them with a beater until they are pale and foamy, it took me about 5 minutes or so.

In a saucepan combine the sugar and water (also cream of tartar if you have it). Stir and cook over moderate high until the sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat a bit and bring to a slow boil. DONT stir while it gently boils, for 6-7 minutes. Have a brush and some water ready, you will need to wash down the insides of the pot as the sugar crystals form, do this several times while it boils. 

Take the pot off the heat (before the sugar browns) and slowly pour into the egg yolks. Try to line it up so the sugar doesn't land on the beater, it will form sugary crystaly threads. Beat for 8 minutes or so until fluffy and the mixture is cool to the touch.

Make sure that the bowl and mixture is cool, you don't want to melt the butter as you add it! I did this the first time and my icing was part yummy and part melted butter!

Add the butter a spoonful at a time and beat the heck out of it!

If you are making vanilla then you can add a tsp of vanilla and be done, but if you are making chocolate then see the next step.....

Melt about 100 grams of semisweet chocolate chips, or any chocolate really, into a double boiler. Here is my makeshift double boiler.....

Let the chocolate cool then beat into the buttercream...And tada! You have some super yummy, store worthy chocolaty icing....

Best part about baking!

I recently went all hardcore cupcaker and bought myself a piping bag, love it!!! But before that I just used a ziploc bag with a small cut in the corner to do my icing. If you check out my pirate cupcakes (scroll down), this is what it will look like, not too shabby for a ziploc bag!!

Here is the finished product. I dusted mine with some chocolate shavings for the full effect.

So, there you have it, you must must try these, seriously!!! The payoff is so worth it. Or just come hang out with me and eat mine:)

Happy cupcake making people!!