This past week my friend Kim's daughter turned 4.  Her party had a pink and yellow flower theme, and the birthday girl requested chocolate cupcakes and buttercream frosting.  Kim asked if we could do pink flowers with yellow centers on top of 3 dozen cupcakes.



After modifying the original design plan a bit, we settled on the ones you see in the picture.  Aren't they cute?!

The actual chocolate cupcake recipe is what I'm sharing with you.  The recipe in my Southern Living special edition magazine (the same one where I got the pound cake recipe) said that it made 36 cupcakes.  Perfect!  When I make cupcakes to decorate and need the tops slightly flat, I make sure I fill it less than the recipe suggests, which usually means about halfway.  That also means extra cupcakes to enjoy.  Those few extra cupcakes that I made into minis from the leftover batter are all but one gone because they're so delicious!  This is probably my favorite chocolate cake recipe so far.  It has an unapologetically chocolatey flavor and a very light texture.  They're moist and just delicious!  They're very bad for dieters. 

My only complaint, and this could be baker error (not baking them long enough, etc), are that they're difficult to ice without the crumbs getting into your white icing.  Yikes!  Other than that my only complaint is that I can't stop eating them if I make them. 

If you make these, let me know what you think by posting in the comments section!

Chocolate Layer Cake With Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

from Southern Living special edition magazine, Our Favorite Dessserts
1 ½ c. semisweet morsels
½ c. butter, softened
1-16 oz. pkg light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 c. AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1- 8 oz container sour cream
1 c. hot water
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl on high 1 ½ minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30 second intervals.

Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended.

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to chocolate mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended. Stir in vanilla. Gradually pour in hot water and mix until all is blended.  Batter will be runny. 

Pour into cupcake pans and bake at 350 for 18 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Makes 36 cupcakes.


Notes

• Did you know that approximately 1 1/2 cups of semisweet chips is the same as 8 oz. of chips?  Thankfully I did and used my Baker's brand semisweet chocolate and didn't have to make that mad dash to the store to buy chips.
• You can also melt the chocolate on a stove in a double boiler. 

Here are the ingredients that will make it happen- part of the uniqueness of this recipe are its use of sour cream and brown sugar.











Sifting the dry ingredients together.  This is how I do it.  Alton Brown uses his food processor.  The goal is to break up clumps and incorporate air.







Oh, yum.  How can you go wrong creaming butter and brown sugar together AND THEN adding chocolate?!








Here's the batter when it's finished and about to be poured.  It's much less viscous than other cake batters, so don't be alarmed. 







Enjoy!