---

Double Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Buttercream

December 7th, 2010

Double Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Buttercream

These were made for my husband. He doesn’t have the biggest sweet tooth, but every once in a while, he does looooove chocolate!

These started as dark chocolate cupcakes, but he suggested I add chocolate chips too- good idea. So the cake is dark chocolate, and filled with semi-sweet chocolate chips. They are then topped with a luscious, dark chocolate buttercream. Very indulgent and very pretty.

I used snowflake liners and sprinkles for the season, but these could be enjoyed any time!

Double Dark Chocolate Cupcakes, makes 1 dozen cupcakes
½ cup butter, soft
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cups flour
½ cup, plus 3 TBS dark cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup whole milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the butter and the sugar and beat until fluffy.

Add the eggs and the vanilla and completely combine.

In a large bowl combine the flour, cocoa and baking powder and salt.

Add the chocolate chips to the dry ingredients (it helps them not to sink to the bottom of the cupcakes) and toss to coat the chips with flour.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar and combine until partially combined.

Add the milk and beat until the batter is thick and smooth.

Evenly divide the batter among the liners.

Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting.

Dark Chocolate Buttercream
½ cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
¾ cup dark cocoa powder
2Tbs milk

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl and using a hand held mixer, whip and beat until fluffy. Set aside.

When the frosting is completely cool frost the cupcakes with a small off set spatula or in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.

I then sprinkled them with white snowflake sprinkles.