- Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 stick butter, room temperature
- 3/4 sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp melted chocolate, cooled
- Chocolate Buttercream
- 1 stick butter
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 3/4 cup cocoa
- 2-2.5 cups powdered sugar
- Chocolate Decorations
- Chocolate wafers or candiquik, about 1/4 cup
- 1 tbsp vegetable shortening
- Squeeze bottle and wax paper
Instructions
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently mix using a spoon.
- In a larger mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar, beat using an electric mixer until fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla, lightly beat.
- Add in the sour cream and melted chocolate, mix by hand using a spatula.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, do not dump it in, rather take spoonfuls of the flour mixture and gently shake it over the wet ingredients, as if you were sifting in the flour. Fold in the mixture until no flour remains. Repeat with the other half of the flour, folding it in and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate everything.
- Fill the cupcake liners 1/2 full with batter.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before adding the frosting.
- Chocolate Buttercream
- In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and vegetable shortening, beat using an electric mixer until fluffy. Add in the cocoa powder, and gently mix by hand with a spatula. Begin to add the powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time, mixing by hand. Continue adding powdered sugar until the frosting no longer looks wet and tastes good to you. Then I use my electric mixer one last time to make sure the powdered sugar is really incorporated and ready to go.
- Chocolate Decorations
- Melt the chocolate wafers or candiquik and vegetable shortening in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally as the chocolate melts. It may take up to 8 minutes to melt everything completely. Return the pan from the heat and allow it to set at room temperature for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until it’s cooled down. Transfer the chocolate to a squeeze bottle. On a piece of wax paper, begin to draw chocolate designs. Once you are done making them, place the designs in the fridge for about 2 minutes to harden up. Remove them from the fridge and begin to gently peel the wax paper off of the design.
