Serves: 12
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups cane sugar
- 2 cups water
- 6 tablespoons unsalted sweet cream butter, preferably Plugré or another European-style butter
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, preferably Callebaut, chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- frosting (recipe below)
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl and set it aside.
- In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water and heat over a medium-high flame.
- When the sugar and water dissolve, add the chocolate and butter to the mixture and stir with a wooden spoon.
- When the chocolate has finished melting, add the vanilla.
- Pour the mixture into a metal bowl for a KitchenAid-style mixer or hand mixer.
- Beat the chocolate mixture until it is cool for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time to the chocolate mixture. Stop mixing occasionally to scrape down the sides of the metal bowl so everything can be uniformly mixed together.
- Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture a little at a time, being sure to combine it completely.
- Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Pour the chocolate batter into the wells of the cupcake pan liners so that each cupcake is filled ¾ of the way.
- Place the cupcake pan in the preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes until the cupcakes rise and a toothpick that is inserted comes out clean. Be careful not to overcook the cupcakes!
- Remove the cupcakes from the pan and allow them to cool on a wire rack (be careful, they are very hot). The cupcakes will be ready to frost when you touch the bottom of a cupcake to the inside of your wrist and feel no heat through the paper wrapper.
Frosting
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup shortening, such as Crisco
- 1/2 cup unsalted European-style butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp plus another
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 5 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
- 2-3 tbsp whole milk
- Food coloring if desired
DIRECTIONS
- Place the butter and shortening into the metal mixing bowl of a KitchenAid-style mixer and using the large paddle mix them together. If you do not have a KitchenAid, use a hand mixer instead.
- Add the vanilla and continue to mix.
- Add the confectioner's sugar one cup at a time slowly while you also drizze in the milk between the cups of sugar. Be aware that you may not have to use all of the sugar.
- Be sure to beat the frosting mixture well and scrape down the sides of the metal bowl routinely so that a uniform fluffy texture can occur.
- Frost cupcakes with this immediately and refrigerate any leftovers.
Chef’s Note: Feel free to use food coloring to tint the frosting as bold or pastel as you like. When you use the refrigerated leftover frosting be sure to let it come to room temperature before you use it. Re-beat it in the mixer to refresh the fluffy, smooth texture.
