Chocolate Cupcakes

I’ve shown you vanilla cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes, coconut cupcakes and even lemon cupcakes, but I’ve never done a chocolate cupcake for you.  It's time.  Light as a feather, rich & chocolaty is the best way to describe my chocolate cupcakes.  In order to achieve these levels of excellence, one must use a good dutch-process cocoa powder and velvety cake flour, as well as fresh eggs, milk and butter.  Don’t forget that pure vanilla extract is essential for the best tasting cupcake.  

This cupcake is for those of you who can’t get enough chocolate.  I know the feeling.  Certain days require a bit of chocolate in some form or another, and if you want a little cupcake to go with a cup of coffee or a cup of tea, my recipe is a must.  Bookmark it because it will hopefully become a go-to chocolate cupcake for a lot of you.  

Cupcake & Coffee

Since the recipe makes exactly one dozen standard-sized cupcakes, one can make a small batch or multiply the ingredients to suit the occasion and need.  The frosting is entirely up to you.  Do you feel like simple vanilla frosting or a tasty chocolate frosting or do you want to get fancy and try a Swiss meringue frosting?  To sprinkle or not to sprinkle?  I can go on and on...  Let’s bake! 

Chocolate Cupcake Ingredients

• 1 cup {110 g.} cake flour, spooned & leveled
• 1/2 cup {55 g.} dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoon {6.25 ml.} baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon {1.25 ml.} fine sea salt
• 1 stick or 8 tablespoons {113 g.} unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup {220 g.} granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup {120 ml.} milk, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoon {7.5 ml.} pure vanilla extract

Equipment: 12 cup standard-size muffin tin, cupcake liners, nonstick cooking spray.

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Center an oven rack 

&

Preheat to 350° F (177°C)

Line a standard muffin tin with cupcake liners and spray the top of the pan with a nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking.

1. In a medium bowl, sift your cake flour, dutch-process cocoa powder, baking powder and fine sea salt.  Keep it next to your mixer.
   
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the unsalted butter on medium speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until it’s creamy. 
3. Add the granulated sugar and continue to beat on medium speed until the sugar and butter lighten considerably, about 4 minutes.  Stop and scrape down the bowl & paddle at least once.
4. Add the eggs one at a time on medium speed and beat until incorporated and emulsified.  Lower the speed to low.
5. In three additions, add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk (this is added in 2 additions).  Begin and end with the dry ingredients.  Beat in the vanilla extract.
   
6. Remove the bowl & paddle from the mixer and give the batter a few turns with a large spatula.  Make sure to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl, because you don’t want any bits of butter.

Evenly divide the batter and pop the cupcakes into the preheated oven.

Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes.

The tops should feel springy and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake should come out clean.  

Let the cupcakes sit in the muffin tin on top of a cooling rack for 5 minutes.  

Gently remove each cupcake onto a cooling rack and let them cool completely before frosting.

By the way, if you like these bright cupcake liners, they're made by a Swedish company called Cupcake Creations.  The colors never fade during baking.  Where do I buy mine?  Click {here} and look for the one called "Green Circles".  I absolutely love them!

Frost as desired.

I treated myself to a cupcake and a cup of piping hot cafe au lait.

Take a bite, I know you want to!

Don’t these cupcakes look dreamy?  Check your pantry for the essential ingredients and visit your local supermarket if there’s anything missing.  Take out your cupcake pan and line it with cupcake papers.  Preheat your oven, measure out your ingredients and begin the recipe.  In no time at all you will have delicious cupcakes that are going to garner lots of compliments.  From my home to yours, enjoy these tasty treats.