Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream

These cupcakes almost don't need words. Just read the name and look at the pictures. You really can't go wrong with chocolate and caramel. And the sea salt mixed into the buttercream just takes these to a whole different level. It cuts the sweetness of all the caramel, plus"salted caramel buttercream" sounds so much more sophisticated than just plain old "caramel buttercream".

And the best thing about these cupcakes? They are so easy! It's just a doctored up devil's food cake mix. (Shhhh. Don't tell all my friends that ate them last night. They think I made them from scratch!). I made them for Ross' 30th birthday yesterday, and the truth is I don't usually use boxed cake mixes, but being almost 41 weeks pregnant (yup, you read that right...41 weeks!), I wanted to take the easy route. I'm really glad I tried this recipe because it will definitely be my go to recipe if I don't feel like making a cake from scratch. Everyone raved about them and as soon everyone was done with their first, they eyed the table for someone to split a second cupcake with!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream
Recipe: Adapted from My Baking Addiction

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package Devil’s Food Cake mix
• 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs; lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

For the frosting:

• 3 sticks butter; room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2/3 cup caramel syrup
• 1 pound confectioners’ sugar

For garnish:

• 24 rolos
• chocolate sprinkles
  

Directions:
For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line (2) 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, water and vanilla until well combined and smooth.
4. Evenly divide the batter amongst the prepared pans
5. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch.
6. Cool cupcakes thoroughly on wire rack.

For the frosting:

1. Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the vanilla extract, salt and caramel syrup and combine well.
2. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, give it a taste and decide if you want to add in more caramel syrup. For thicker frosting you can gradually add in a little more sugar.

Butterfly Cupcakes

I saw these cupcakes in this book, Hello Cupcake, a while back but never really had an occasion to make them.... until last Friday that is. My friend was having a party to celebrate Arts Fest that happens every summer in State College. I asked what I could bring and she said "an artsy dessert." Done!

Overall these cupcakes took a little bit of work, but they weren't hard, and they were a lot of fun to make. When I brought these to the party, everyone was really impressed and couldn't believe that I had actually made these.

Here's a rundown of the steps to make the wings:

1. Get/make a stencil of a butterfly wing to use as your template. I just freehanded mine with the brush tool in Photoshop, then made a word document with 6 sets of wings on 1 page. (See below)
2. Lay down your template, and put wax paper over it.
3. Melt the dark cocoa candy melts. I melted them in a bowl then poured the melted chocolate into a squeeze bottle. I found the squeeze bottle was much easier to use when outlining the wing, and making antenna.
   
4. Place about 1/2 cup of colored candy melts in a plastic bag. Microwave in 10 second intervals, unsealed, massaging the candy melts in between, until the candy is completely melted and no lumps remain. Press out the excess air in the bag and seal. Push the mixture down to one corner of the bag and snip off a very small corner.
   
5. Trace the outline of the wing template with the dark cocoa melted candy. Do the wings one at a time otherwise it will be too set to swirl by the time you have outlined two wings.
6. Use the bag of colored candy melts to fill in the outline. Be generous, so that it will spread all the way to the sides.
7. Use a toothpick/chopstick to spread the colored candy to meet the outline.
8. Use a tooth pick to swirl the edges together slightly to form a pattern.
9. Sprinkle the top and bottom of each wing with a few white nonpareils.
10. Repeat this process until you have enough wings. I suggest making a few extra of each color, just in case.
11. Make antennas. Again, I just freehanded a template.
    

Note: You may need to remelt the candy a few times during this process. To do this, just pop it back in the microwave for 10 seconds.


Once you are finished making the wings, let them harden. I actually put mine in the fridge for a couple hours because it was HOT out that day! You can definitely make the wings a few days ahead of time if you want.

Once the wings have hardened, frost some cupcakes. Place the wings into the cupcakes leaving about 1/8th of an inch in between them. Use melted chocolate (again in a squeeze is probably easiest) to draw a body to connect the wings. Place the antenna in the cupcake.

I had a heck of a time getting the antenna into the cupcakes without breaking. Again, I blame the humidity. I actually ended up breaking about 10 antenna so make plenty extra. I found that placing the antenna in the freezer helped their stability.

Now, if you've seen these cupcakes before, you'll probably notice that mine look a little flat. That's because it was super hot and humid the day I decided to make these. I tired to get the butterfly to form a V and look a little more 3d but it just wasn't happening so I gave up and settled for flat butterflies. Pretty, flat butterflies.

If you want to see some more butterfly cupcakes and another tutorial check out Annies-Eats. Her tutorial is great and inspired me to try it on my own!

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (and My Blogiversary!)

Today marks 1 year since I started SugarCooking and what better way to celebrate than with cupcakes! Cupcakes seem to be my answer for everything. Birthday coming up? I'll make cupcakes! Barbeque this week? I'll make cupcakes! Going to a friends for dinner? I'll make cupcakes! Who had a heart attack? I'll make cupcakes!

These cupcakes were great. The batter was light and moist and it wasn't overly sweet. It tasted exactly like you would expect it to, like a snickerdoodle cookie in cupcake form. The recipe comes from Martha Stewart, and she recommended using her Seven Minute Frosting, but I thought a cinnamon cream cheese frosting would be better. And it was. I guess that's not really a fair statement since I've never tried the seven minute frosting, but I seriously cannot imagine anything tasting better than this frosting!

As part of my blogiversary celebration post, I'm posting my top 10 favorite posts from the last year. It was hard to narrow it down but here they are...


1. Oreo Cookie Cookies


2. Cappuccino Brownies


3. Smores Bars


4. Nutella Cookies


5. Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies


6. Smores Cookies


7. Key Lime Pie Ice Cream


8. Black & Tans (Like Black & White Cookies, but with peanut butter!)


9. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes


10. Chocolate Malt Cupcakes

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Recipe: Adapted from Martha Stewart, makes 14 cupcakes
Ingredients:

• 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups cake flour (not self- rising), sifted
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon, plus 1/2 teaspoon for dusting
• 1/2 cup (1 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cups sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for dusting
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cups milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.
3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 2 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
4. To finish, combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar. Pipe frosting on each cupcake. Using a small, fine sieve, dust peaks with cinnamon-sugar. Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are frosted; keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 - 4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine butter and cream cheese. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
   
2. Add the cinnamon, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar (1 cup at a time). Beat until smooth and creamy.
   

Coconut Cupcakes

These guys have been on my to-bake list for quite some time now. I finally got the chance to make them the other day and they were everything I expected them to be! This is a recipe from Ina Garten, and she has yet to disappoint. The cake itself is really light and fluffy and is flavored with vanilla and almond extract. The frosting is the star though (as usual). It's a cream cheese icing (also flavored with vanilla & almond extract). Why is cream cheese icing so damn good?!?!? Overall, I thought these were great and I absolutely loved the way they looked with the white frosting and the white coconut sprinkled on top!

Recipe: From The Barefoot Contessa

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra large eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut
• 1 pound cream cheese
• 3/4 pound butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325. Line 2 muffin pans with liners.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, and add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix until incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk in three additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, and fold in 7 ounces of the coconut.
4. Fill each liner almost to the top with batter. Bake 25-35 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
5. For the frosting, mix the cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the vanilla and almond, and gradually add the confectioners' sugar. Mix until smooth.
6. Frost the cupcakes with the cream cheese icing and sprinkle the tops with the remaining coconut.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

This is one of those posts, where I don't even want to write anything. I feel like I should just be able to post the title and the pictures and that should have you bolting into the kitchen to make these. That's what happened to me anyway when I saw these on Annies Eats.

These are more than just cupcakes. When all the elements of the cupcake are combined and you take that first bite, it's magical. These are eye rollingly good. And you know what? I don't even like cookie dough that much! I'm not one of those people who eats it out of the bowl with a spoon as I'm baking off cookies. I prefer the finished product. But the cookie dough flavor in these is just perfect!

They definitely take a lot of time. I suggest making the filling and mini cookies (if you're using them) the day before, and making the cupcakes and frosting the next day. The cookie dough that you use for the filling is eggless, so it's completely safe to eat. And be warned, when you taste it alone, it's just okay, but when you taste it inside the cupcake it's perfect! Enjoy!

Recipe from: Annies Eats
Yield:24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

For the filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2½ tsp. vanilla extract

For decoration:
Tiny chocolate chip cookies
Mini chocolate chips

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes

Well I couldn't let Valentine's Day go by without baking some sort of dessert decorated with cute red, white, and pink sprinkles. These (not so red) red velvet cupcakes were the perfect vessel for such sprinkles. And the cream cheese icing. Ross will eat anything will cream cheese icing. Seriously I could serve him raw brussel sprouts with cream cheese icing and he'd gobble them down!

I decided to go the mini route because I think mini desserts are cuter, and well Valentine's Day is all about cute stuff. The red velvet cake came out really good. It was really moist and flavorful and everything you'd want from a red velvet cake. Unfortunately I didn't check the status of my red food coloring before I started putting together the batter so my cake didn't turn out as red as it should have.

I'm definitely keeping this in my collection for the next time the need for red velvet comes a long. The only thing I might change next time is to reduce the cocoa powder a little bit. I thought it tasted a little too chocolaty for red velvet, so I may knock it down to 2 tablespoons next time. Enjoy!

Recipe: Adapted from The Repressed Pastry Chef
Ingredients:

• 1c cake flour
• 1/4c cocoa
• 1/2tsp salt
• 2/3c vegetable oil
• 3/4c sugar
• 1 egg
• 1oz (2T) red food coloring
• 1/2tsp vanilla
• 1/2c buttermilk
• 1/2tsp baking soda
• 3/4tsp white vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   Line12-cupcake pans with cupcake liners and spray with cooking spray.
2. Whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl.
3. Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. Beat in eggs one at a time.
4. With machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring (and water or syrup, if necessary). (Take care: it may splash.) Add vanilla.
   
5. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.
6. Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds.
7. Divide batter among cupcake pans, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for about 12 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Note:: The recipe above has been scaled down to 1/3 of the original recipe. The original recipe yields 3 dozen cupcakes: 3½ cups cake flour ½ cup cocoa powder 1½ teaspoons salt 2 cups vegetable oil 2¼ cups white sugar 3 large eggs 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) red food coloring 1½ teaspoons vanilla 1¼ cup buttermilk 2 teaspoons baking soda 2½ teaspoons white vinegar

Cream Cheese Frosting
Click here for my cream cheese frosting recipe

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream & Chocolate Buttercream

Ok I know it's been a while since I blogged. Things have been a little crazy lately. First there was finals which is busy season for me since I run a tutoring company. Then I was on vacation in Miami for 3 weeks (I know, tough life) and while I did do a little baking, I didn't take any pictures. Now I'm finally back home and starting to settle into routine again. So I bring you these...

We had some friends coming over the night to play board games and I really wanted to try out a new decorating tip that I got so I figured I'd whip up a batch of cupcakes. To me, finding the perfect cupcake recipe is sort of like finding the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. Everyone has their own favorite and even when you find one that you think is the best, you just can't help yourself from trying other ones. Well, I'm glad I kept trying new recipes because this one is amazing.

The cupcakes came out perfect. I've made cupcakes that have sunk in the middle, that have been dry, that have a top that's too domed, etc. And while they all taste good, I want one that tastes good AND looks good. Really, is that too much to ask? Well this is it. The cake was flavorful, moist, and it rose just the right amount leaving a perfect canvas for frosting.

For the frosting I made a Vanilla Bean Buttercream. I always use Magnolia's Vanilla Buttercream recipe which is simple and delicious. However, I had been seeing a fair amount of recipes with shortening in them lately so I decided to add about a tablespoon of shortening to the recipe. This really gives the buttercream some stability. I took half the buttercream and added a vanilla bean and I took the other half an added a few spoonfuls of cocoa powder. The vanilla buttercream was amazing. I could (and perhaps did) eat that stuff by the spoonful. The chocolate? Eh. I don't think cocoa powder is the way to go for chocolate buttercream. Next time, I'll be less lazy and actually use melted chocolate.

I got the recipe from My Baking Addiction who got it from Baking at Home with the Culinary Institute of America. Be sure to check out her blog because she turns the cake into Cinnamon Swirl Cupcakes which look divine! The original recipe is for a an 8" cake, but if you want to make cupcakes just fill the cupcakes about 2/3 full and bake for 18 - 20 minutes. (Note: I cut the recipe in half and got 16 cupcakes)

Recipe: Yellow Butter Cake from Culinary Institute of America

Ingredients

• 3 ½ c cake flour
• 2 c sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 c (2 sticks) butter, unsalted, diced, at room temperature
• 1 c whole or low-fat milk (divided use)
• 4 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat two 8” cake pans lightly with cooking spray
2. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and ½ cup of the milk. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 4 minutes, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
3. In a separate bowl, blend the eggs, egg whites, the remaining ½ cup milk and the vanilla extract. Add to the batter in 3 additions, mixing for 2 minutes on medium speed after each addition. Scrape down the bowl between additions.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake until the layers spring back when touched lightly in the center, 35-40 minutes.
5. Remove the layers from the oven and cool completely in their pans on wire racks. Release the sides and bottom of the layers from the pans with a narrow metal spatula or a table knife before unmolding and finishing with fillings and icings.

Perfect Party Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

No food blog is complete without a basic go-to cupcake recipe. This recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan's "Perfect Party Cake". As its name implies, it makes the perfect cake. I've tried other so called "perfect" cake recipes and they just don't compare. This cake has the perfect level of moisture and a perfect texture. (Have I used the word "perfect" enough yet?)It's very light and airy, but it can still hold up to a heavy dosing of buttercream on top.

The cake also uses lemon zest and lemon extract. I thought it would be really lemony but it wasn't at all. It just added a brightness to the taste.

I chose to throw my favorite buttercream on top. It's the Magnolia Buttercream recipe and in my opinion it's the only buttercream recipe you need. It is so simple to make. It comes out perfect every time and, unlike other buttercreams, there is no cooking or shortening involved.


Cupcake Recipe: Adapted from "Baking: From my Home to Yours" - By Dorie Greenspan
Makes about 20 cupcakes
Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

Directions

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

2. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
   

3. Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter, and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and will aerated.
   

4. Fill each cupcake 3/4 full. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the cupcakes are well risen and springy to the touch- a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool.
   

Buttercream Recipe: Adapted From Magnolia Bakery
Ingreidents:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  

• 3 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Malt Cupcakes with Vanilla Malt Buttercream

These are dangerous. Trust me when I say that you do not want these sitting in your kitchen all weekend. Make these, keep 1 (or maybe 2 or 3) for yourself and give the rest away, QUICKLY! Otherwise you will keep going back to the kitchen for more (and more and more).

The cupcake recipe is adapted from America's Test Kitchen cookbook (my new favorite!) with the addition of some malt powder and a little milk. This is a damn good cupcake. I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate usually. I'm . I'll take the lemon, berry, pumpkin, ginger, apple, or peanut butter dessert before chocolate most days. But every once in a while the chocolate craving sneaks up and this cupcake satisfied!


I had problems with the middle sinking for some reason (yes, they were cooked all the way. no, i didn't open the oven in the middle of cooking) but I didn't care too much because they tasted amazing. And besides it gave me more room to load on the icing... and trust me this is an icing that you will want every last drop of. The icing is definitely worthy of a "WOW!" It is definitely the star of this cupcake. The Vanilla Malt Buttercream is nothing short of addicting.

Chocolate Malt Cupcakes
Recipe (Adapted from America's Test Kitchen)
Makes: 24 cupcakes (I made 20 cupcakes and about 12 mini cupcakes)
Ingredients:

• 16 TBSP unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup dutch process cocoa
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup of malted milk powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 4 large eggs (room temp)
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup milk
  

Directions:

1. Adjust oven to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard size muffin pan (cups have 1/2 cup capacity) with baking-cup liners.
2. Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in a medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and fully combined. Set aside to cool until just warm to touch.
3. Whisk flour, malt powder, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.
4. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift about one-third of the flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogenous and thick.
5. Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. (12 minutes for minis)
   
6. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes.

Vanilla Malt Buttercream
Recipe
Ingredients:

• 2 sticks butter (room temperature)
• 6 tablespoons malt powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 6 - 8 cups confectioners sugar

Directions:

1. Beat butter on low speed
2. Add in malt powder, vanilla extract, milk, and 4 cups of sugar. Beat on low speed for 1 minute.
3. Add in remaining sugar 1 cup at a time and beat on medium speed for a few minutes.