Cupcake Dreams

A short time ago I found a wonderful video, “Sweet Dreams“, by Kirsten Lepore, a free lance illustrator. The video is so cute and stars a cupcake making some tough life decisions and even becomes romantically involved with a squash! Although it is a bit beyond what I usually post on my blog, I could not resist sharing.

After finding the video, it reminded me that I’ve not made cupcakes in quite a while. For about two years I was making full recipes of cupcakes at least once and sometimes twice a week. But since we’ve completed our construction and my crews are now gone I don’t have enough people around to eat cupcakes any more. But I do miss making the tasty little morsels of goodness topped with sweet frostings and sprinkles. So I whipped up a small batch of cupcakes and I ate each and every one of them too!

Chocolate Cupcakes
Recipe developed by Big-Black-Dog

Yield: 8 cupcakes

1/4 c. plus 3 TBL Flour
1/2 c. sugar
3 TBL cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 TBL EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
1/2 whipped egg (just eye ball it)
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. hot coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake tin with 8 baking cups.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into standing mixer’s bowl or you can use a hand mixer. In another bowl, combine the milk, vinegar, oil, egg and vanilla. Turn mixer on low and slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Add the cocoa and keeping the mixer on low slowly pour in the hot coffee. Being that this is a small batch recipe it is crucial that you continually scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure every bit of batter is thoroughly mixed.

The batter will be very thin. Carefully pour into cupcake liners filling each about 1/2 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe adapted from Sprinkle’s Cupcakes

8 ounces cold cream cheese
1 stick butter, firm but not cold
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine butter, salt, and cream cheese in mixer and beat on medium speed 2-3 minutes. Add sugar until just incorporated. Don’t over mix. It should be thick but not fluffy. Add vanilla.

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Tagged as: Chocolate, Cream Cheese