Cooking with Auden: Birthday Cupcakes

We were looking for a yummy and easy recipe to make cupcakes for Liev's birthday. As always, Joy of Baking came through. We halved this and added some chocolate chips to make them extra chocolaty. Rather than a chocolate frosting, we made a vanilla butter cream that we tinted pink.


Chocolate Cupcakes
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 cup boiling hot water
2/3 cups (87 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 375.
In a small bowl, dissolve the cocao in the water. And let cool to room temperature.


Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.


In another bowl, measure the sugar and add the soft butter.


Cream these until smooth and fluffy.


Add the egg, then vanilla. Mix until blended.


Add the flour mixture, blending until fully combined.

Then add the cooled cocoa. Then the chips.


Scoop into lined or buttered muffin tins.

Bake for about 20 minutes.


Frosting
1/4 cup soft butter
1 cup confectionery sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs milk
food coloring

Cream the butter until smooth, then add the vanilla.


Add the sugar and mix on low until combined, then add the milk. Mix until smooth and fluffy. Add food color to the desired color.


Ice the cooled cupcakes. Store in the refrigerator to set the frosting, but remove about 15 - 20 before serving to soften.


And, yes it was a huge hit!