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Recipe: Decorated Chocolate Cupcakes

Ok, so I must admit I am a cupcake fanatic. I am also a big fan of cakes, cookies, biscuits and in general any type of baked good, but I will tell you about that in another post … Today I’m going to focus on these delicious chocolate cupcakes. And the reason I share the recipe for chocolate cupcakes is because it seems to be the most popular flavor.

However, in future posts I will show you many other cupcake recipes that I love and don’t have any chocolate in them. But for now, let’s take a look at these, I know you will love them!

This recipe is wonderful for a snack, a party, a special event or just to enjoy an afternoon with the family. They are easy to make, and can be very spectacular if you put a little effort into making them. Besides, cupcakes are very trendy right now! You can adapt them very easily to your event with cupcake toppers to match your party theme, with fondant figurines, with colored sugar or simply with colored or metallic sprinkles.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 3/4 cup + 2Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs (room temperature), lightly beaten
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot water (or hot coffee or 1 tsp instant coffee dissolved into 1 cup hot water)

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

• 4oz. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Place the cupcake liners in the muffin trays.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Add the vegetable oil and milk, until well combined.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
5. Add the vanilla extract.
6. Add the hot water or coffee and mix well until all the ingredients are combined. It should be a thin batter.
7. Fill the muffin tins up to 2/3 of the way full.
8. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes in a preheated oven at 180ºC.
9. When you take them out of the oven, allow them to cool completely before decorating with the buttercream.

HOW TO MAKE THE BUTTERCREAM:

1. Have butter and milk at room temperature. Place the butter in a bowl of electric mixer and mix until the butter is as white as possible.
2. Gradually add half the icing sugar, beating constantly.
3. Add the milk gradually, and then slowly add the remaining icing sugar. The mixture should be smooth and easy to spread with a spatula.
4. For coloring, you can add a few drops of food coloring and mix well.

DECORATING THE CUPCAKES

To place the icing on the cupcakes we have several options. Here you have the easiest and most common ways to do it, depending on the time you have and how much (or little) you want to complicate yourself:

With a knife or spatula:

If we do not want to complicate ourselves, we can simply use a flat knife or spatula, spreading it in circular movements on the top of the cupcake. We will try to leave it as smooth as possible, but you don’t need it to be perfect.

TIP:

It is very helpful to dip the knife or spatula in hot water and dry it quickly with a kitchen cloth before spreading the icing over our cupcake (or cake), and repeating this process frequently.

With a pastry bag:

We can also use a pastry bag with a tip. Pastry bags are very easy to use, and will give our creations a much more professional and cared for “look”. You simply have to place the chosen tip inside the pastry bag and fill it with the icing. Turn the end a couple times to close the upper part of the pastry bag, and press gently so that the icing comes out through the tip. Move the cupcake in a circular motion, rotating it to make a spiral from the outer edge into the center.

This is just a very basic way of doing it, but piping with a pastry bag opens up an infinite amount of possibilities. I will talk more about this in another post, because I really think it’s a great way to get that “Wow” factor for our parties, and it’s quite a simple process.

Finally spread some kind of “sprinkles”, colored sugar or fondant ornaments to give it the final touch. This simple step will take your cupcakes to the next level. If it is for a themed party or a special event, you can also put some customized cupcake toppers on them, which will make your event much more sophisticated and special.

What do you think of this recipe? Do you like it? Please leave me a comment below and tell me what you think.

Original cupcake recipe by SugarSpunRun.