As promised, here is one of the cupcake recipes I used for Ben's graduation party. A cupcake buffet is not complete without a chocolate cupcake, and I decided to use Williams-Sonoma's recipe from their website. I noticed that a few other food bloggers like the Williams-Sonoma recipes, so I figured I couldn't go wrong.
Well, while I did eat a few of the cupcakes, I was a little disappointed with the results. They seemed kind of dry and lacked a very chocolatey flavor. Of course, the dryness could be fixed by adjusting the baking time, but the flavor... maybe the bittersweet chocolate or the type of cocoa powder I used wasn't up to par. I don't know. I'm not about to experiment and find out... Next time I make chocolate cupcakes, I'll use a different recipe. Maybe I'll try this one at Joy of Baking.
So, here's the recipe. Try it if you like... I think it would be better with semi-sweet chocolate...although I'm a bittersweet fan. Weird, I know.
Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients:
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
2 ½ Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
11 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¾ cup plus 2 Tbs. sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Chocolate or vanilla buttercream for frosting cupcakes (see related
recipes at left)
Grated chocolate for garnish (optional)
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Place the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl and set over but not touching simmering water in a saucepan; stir frequently until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and let the chocolate mixture cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.
Using a wooden spoon, stir the sugar into the chocolate mixture until combined. Stir in the eggs one at a time, beating until combined after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Gently fold in the flour mixture just until no traces of flour remain; do not overmix.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 22 to 24 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cupcakes to the rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
Frost the cupcakes with the buttercream, garnish with grated chocolate and serve. (The frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving.) Makes 12 cupcakes.
