Hey cupcake!!

Cupcakes are all the rage these days aren't they?? I know I can't resist em! I'm obviously a huge sweet freak anyway, so I of course look for any possible excuse to bake stuff. So in honor of the fabulous colors and the adorable hearts that go along with Valentine's Day I made cupcakes last week!! I can't lie, they were pretty freakin cute too.. For Christmas my Big Bad Dad gave me "Hey There, Cupcake! by Clare Crespo, the cupcake diva herself. I thought last week was the perfect time to FINALLY try out one of her recipes. And about a month ago, while shopping at a local cake decorating supply shop I found the most adorable teeny tiny heart-shaped sprinkles I couldn't resist. Now I'm looking for every possible reason to use them, they're SO cute!! lol I wasn't impressed with the cake part of the cupcakes. I like my cake dense and moist, and this cake definitely wasn't moist. I followed a buttercream recipe from Cupcakes Year Round, mostly out of curiosity because the recipe called for much less butter than I usually use for my buttercream. I ended up having to add a bit more butter while I was making it up the frosting came out delicious. And I don't feel quite as guilty eating it because of the reduced amount of butter. Chocolate Cupcakes yields 18 cupcakes 3 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 cup sugar 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup sour cream 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1/4 hot water 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with paper liners. 2. Melt chocolate in double-broiler or microwave. Set aside to cool. 3. Sift flour, baking soda, salt and sugar together into large mixing bowl. 4. Add butter and sour cream to flour mixture and beat well. 5. Stir in melted chocolate. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well until batter is smooth. 6. Add vanilla and hot water, and beat until batter is smooth. 7. Pour batter into cupcake tins. Bake 15-20 minutes, until cake springs back when touched. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Then turn cupcakes out of tins and onto rack until completely cool. Easy Buttercream 4 Tblsp unsalted butter, softened 1 lb confectioners sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 Tbsp milk, or more for desired consistancy. 1. Cream butter, until smooth. Add confectioners sugar, vanilla and milk. Mix until smooth and creamy, adding more milk 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.