When I think of hanging out with friends on a Friday afternoon, my mind automatically drifts towards delicious baked goods. After living through a long week at school and work filled with a complete lack of sleep, tons of work, and lengthy homework, my friends and I are ready to settle down and make ourselves, and our stomachs, delicious treats that could turn any frown upside down. These treats: cupcakes.
Cupcakes are my favorite dessert in the world. Small, decadent, and sweet, these treats deliver a variety of flavors in a little package, and never cease to put a smile on my face. Ever since I was a child, I have been baking cupcakes, mostly with my mom, for various birthday celebrations, parties, etc. While these cupcakes were usually made with the aid of a Betty Crocker chocolate cake mix, I always found them to be delicious any ways. These boxes of cake mix honestly produce really delicious cakes or cupcakes, and I have no complaints towards them. The directions on these boxes are very simple, and they require fewer ingredients, which are most likely stocked in your house—eggs, vegetable oil, and water. When making cupcakes to feed millions, it always helps to have a few boxes of cake mix to aid you, and they cut your prep time by a large amount. While I loved making cupcakes with the aid of a box when I would bake with my mom, I have developed a habit of baking cupcakes as a good pastime, which ended the reign of box cupcakes in my house, and began my new obsession: baking cupcakes from scratch.
Now, I understand that the idea of making cupcakes from scratch may seem like a burden, but honestly it is fun, relaxing, and really simple. I personally always find recipes online, mostly from other blogs or cooking websites that have good reviews promising excellent recipes, and I generally go for recipes that have simple directions, making them easy to follow, and won’t take up numerous hours of my life. There is one specific recipe I found a few months ago amongst the millions of recipes online, and I must say it is the most delicious chocolate cupcake recipe I have ever made. I know that you may be thinking that all chocolate cupcakes taste the same, but these take the standard and simple chocolate cupcakes to another level. Sweet, decadent, mouthwatering, and moist, these chocolate cupcakes are a favorite amongst everyone who try them. Because these cupcakes are so rich and chocolaty, I tend to frost them with standard homemade cream cheese frosting, never chocolate frosting, and add a raspberry on top, but the frosting can be substituted with cool whip, or even homemade whipped cream, and that tastes amazing as well. Trust me, they are worth it!
In this picture, the cupcakes are frosted with dyed cream cheese frosting and topped with m&ms, caramel corn, and pretzels!
Devil’s Food Cupcakes
Time: Approximately 20-25 minutes
Makes: 24 cupcakes
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ cups milk
½ cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Measure out everything but the eggs directly into your mixer bowl (For a mixing bowl, I like to use a Kitchen Aid, but a standard mixing bowl and hand held beater will work just as well)
- Mix on low speed just until incorporated
- Beat on high speed for 2 minutes
- Add eggs, then beat on high speed for 2 minutes
When the cupcake batter is completely made, measure out the batter into cupcake pans that are lined with cupcake papers. To do this, I generally use a large spoon or small ladle, but a small ice cream scoop will work just as well. I suggest that you fill the cups halfway, as I had had some trouble with the cupcake tops not rising very well, and sticking to the pan if the cups are too full. When all of the batter is poured, bake for about 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool for a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.
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