Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Last weekend I had a delicious chocolate cupcake from Sprinkles bakery and it inspired me to bake my own chocolate cupcakes.  This was my first time making chocolate cupcakes from scratch, and I’m very happy with how they turned out!  As a home baker, I like to have a collection of reliable, “go-to” recipes for certain common baked goods (including chocolate chip cookies, various cake/cupcake flavors, pie crusts, and sugar cookies).  Sometimes I have to try multiple recipes to find exactly what I’m looking for (I tried at least 5 sugar cookie recipes before settling on the one that I now call my favorite), so I consider myself lucky to have found this fabulous chocolate cupcake recipe on the first try.  I will definitely be making these cupcakes again in the near future!

The cupcakes were really moist and fluffy and had just the right amount of sweetness and chocolaty flavor.  The batter was super easy to mix up with just a wire whisk — no mixer required!  I made these cupcakes for a family dinner last weekend and everyone really loved them.  I frosted the cupcakes with a simple chocolate buttercream frosting that I whipped up in my stand mixer.  The addition of melted chocolate and a little milk gave the frosting a nice glossy sheen.  Like the cupcakes, the frosting had just the perfect amount of sweetness and chocolate flavor, and it complemented the cupcakes very well.  Try these cupcakes- you won’t be disappointed!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa powder
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated white sugar
• ½ cup whole milk plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/3 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 12 cupcake molds or muffin tins with paper liners or spray with nonstick spray.
2. To make the cupcakes, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, and white sugar.  Whisk in the milk, coffee, and melted butter.  Then whisk in the dry ingredients.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tin, filling each about three-quarters full.
5. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle of the cupcakes comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove the cupcakes from the pan and continue to cool on a wire rack to room temperature.

Source: All Recipes

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Ingredients

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup + 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar, sifted
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water.  Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
2. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute).  Add the sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).  Beat in the vanilla extract.  Add the melted chocolate and 1 tablespoon of milk and beat on low speed until incorporated.  Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is smooth and glossy, about 2-3 minutes.  (If frosting is too thick, add another tablespoon of milk and beat until desired consistency is reached.)

Source: Adapted from Joy of Baking

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