Birthday Cupcakes

Besides having a birthday celebration with her family and another with her friends, the clever girl also had a celebration at school!  For this one, she requested chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting!  Happy to oblige!  I made it a bit fancy by sprinkling mini pearls and pink sprinkles on the top of each one - much to the clever girl's delight!  By the way, please excuse the paper plate.  We are moving so I have already packed up all of our dishes!  Sometimes you just have to make do.  (This does not excuse the blurry photo... I can't explain that other than being frazzled and overtired! - Sorry!)

I can't take the credit for making these cupcakes, as the clever girl did most of the work!

Indeed, she says, "I'm the chef"!  She received this awesome chef hat from my mother for her birthday (thanks G!) and she LOVES to wear it and cook.  She also got a super cute chef doll, but that doesn't really have much to do with this blog, though actually the doll IS wearing a skirt with cupcakes on it, so I guess it sort-of goes, in a round about way...

Anyway, when it comes to chocolate cake, I always make Beatty's Chocolate Cake.  I know there are other chocolate cake recipes out there but nothing beats this one.  In fact if you click over to my original post with this cake, it is from the clever girl's birthday last year.  My how my little girl has grown up in a year!  *sigh*  If you don't feel like clicking over there to see the recipe, I am going to go ahead an re-post it here, because it is simply the very best chocolate cake I have EVER had. 

Beatty's Chocolate Cake
adapted from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:
Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee (I use decaf!)


Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line pans with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, slowly add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
Printable Recipe

I made Chocolate Buttercream Frosting for these cupcakes.  It is delectable.  Very creamy and chocolaty and really, just perfect!

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
adapted from Savory Sweet Life

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened but not melted
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract OR 1 teaspoon almond extract
4 TB milk or heavy cream

Instructions:
In a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for a few minutes on medium speed.  Turn off the mixer.  Sift 3 cups of powdered sugar and the cocoa into the mixing bowl on top of the butter.  Stir a little with a rubber spatula just to start things off so you don't coat the kitchen with sugar when you turn on the mixer.  Turn your mixer on to the lowest speed and mix until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and add the salt, vanilla extract and milk/cream.  Beat for 3 minutes.  If your frosting needs a stiffer consistency, add a bit more sifted sugar.  If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk/cream one tablespoon at a time.
Printable Recipe

If you ever have a need for chocolate cake and/or chocolate frosting, look no further.  Seriously, this is the best.  I gave a cupcake to the woman ordering the shades for our new home and she later told me it was the best cupcake she had ever eaten!  I take no credit.  It is the amazing recipes (and the awesome junior chef)!