Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Before we get to the sweets, I must alert you to a great blog I have found. Sunday Baker is a good cooking blog, but she is also doing some great giveaways for the holidays. Just for mentioning her giveaway post, I am getting 2 more entries for the giveaway. Of course, I am also letting you in on it, so now there will be EVEN MORE people entering...

I made these cupcakes for my husband's work. The boss lady was having a birthday, and she likes chocolate, so I looked through my recipes and found a good one.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Quick and Rich Vanilla Icing
*from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

Microwave these 3 ingredients together, until smooth, 1-3 minutes. (Mine took 1 1/2 minutes)

Whisk together:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Whisk in separate bowl:
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla, then slowly whisk in:
1 1/2 cups sugar
Add chocolate mixture to this as well.

Add 1/3 of flour mixture, then mix in 1 cup sour cream. Add in remaining flour mixture (batter will be thick). Fill cupcake liners 2/3 way full, bake 18-22 minutes at 350, rotating pans halfway through baking.

Quick and Rich Vanilla Frosting
(this is THE BEST vanilla frosting I have ever made. This has now become my new staple vanilla frosting)

2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch salt

Stir in a bowl until the salt dissolves. Beat in until smooth;
2 1/2 sticks butter, softened

reduce speed and slowly add in 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar. This is the trick, beat this for at least 3 minutes. I literally watched it transform in front of my eyes. After 1 minute, I thought, "Ok, this looks like frosting, I can stop." But the recipe said to beat it for 4 minutes, so I kept going. It just got fluffier, and prettier as I kept going. AND IT TASTED INCREDIBLE. Sorry to all cap you to death, but people- this frosting is greatness. (Too bad the picture is sorry...)

The frosting

A finished cupcake, in my awesome cupcake carrier
Yuummmm...