Friday, October 2, 2009

Sarah's Dark Chocolate Cupcakes



I created my very own recipe for Dark Chocolate Cupcakes. I took what I liked from each of the chocolate recipes I've made on this blog and came up with this. You'll have to try it and tell me what you think. I think it's fabulous!

Ingredients
Makes 12

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream


Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard-sized muffin pan (cups have 1/2-cup capacity) 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 and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

4. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk 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 homogenous and thick.

5. Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean or almost clean, 16 to 18 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 to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes.

*cupcake pictured is topped with Easy Chocolate Buttercream

Princess Cupcakes

Lucy was invited to a Princess Birthday Party so it was the perfect opportunity for me to try out these Princess cupcakes. I think they turned out pretty cute. Not that difficult once I got the hang of the frosting tip. The special pan makes four "dresses" equivalent to three cupcakes each.



The birthday girl's mom is a friend of mine and she owns the salon pictured. The three girls dressed up and got mani's and pedi's. So cute!






And then . . . there was the after party.