Chocolate Cupcakes
This recipe from Cook's Illustrated makes the best kind of cake for cupcakes; rich, moist, just dense enough, and not overly sweet. Top with your favorite frosting!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder, preferably Dutch processed
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Directions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of 9 by 13-inch baking pan with 1 tablespoon butter.
- Sift together cocoa, flour, and salt in medium bowl; set aside. Heat chocolate and butter in microwave-safe bowl covered with plastic wrap 2 minutes at 50 percent power; stir until smooth. (If not fully melted, heat 1 minute longer at 50 percent power.) Whisk together eggs, sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl.
- Whisk chocolate into egg mixture until combined. Combine buttermilk and baking soda; whisk into chocolate mixture, then whisk in dry ingredients until batter is smooth and glossy. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake until firm in center when lightly pressed and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack until room temperature, at least 1 hour; serve, or ice with frosting, if desired.
Source: Wilton