chocolate cupcakes for your valentine

Here’s a lovely little chocolate cupcake recipe,

just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Chocolate Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

2 stick butter

1½ c. sugar

2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

2 large eggs

1 c. milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2½ c. all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

1.  Heat oven to 350ºF. Line 12 regular-size (2 ½” diam) muffin cups with paper liners.

2.  Beat butter, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl with mixer on low speed 1 minute or until well blended. Add eggs; beat 2 minutes or until fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla (batter may look curdled), then flour just until blended.

3.  Spoon scant 1⁄4 cup batter into each muffin cup, filling each about 2⁄3 full.

4.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in centers of cupcakes comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes before removing from pan to rack.

5.  Repeat steps 3 and 4 with remaining batter. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting and decorating.

Each recipe makes 24 cupcakes. If you have two 12-cup muffin pans, you can bake them side by side on the middle rack of your oven if space permits.

For the ganache: Gently heat ¾ cup of heavy cream over medium heat, then pour over 8 ounces of finely chopped bittersweet chocolate. Let sit one minute; stir until melted and smooth. Evenly spoon ganache over each chocolate cupcake. Let set for 30 minutes.

For the lettering: Microwave 3 ounces of white chocolate at 50% in 20-second intervals until melted and smooth. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with 1.5 tip, then decorate as desired! 

ciao! fabiana


via Womans Day