Halloween Cupcakes

Happy Halloween!

If it's at all possible, I think I'm sick of chocolate. I've eaten a cupcake a day for the past 4, indulged in many decadent chocolate treats, and am totally done. My body is now craving juicy peaches, crisp apples, crunchy carrots, fresh greens, whole grains, and legumes. I want salads and warm hearty soups. I need oatmeal and yogurt, lentils and tofu and water. No more wine, beer, spirits, cider, mulled wine. {maybe just until Christmas}.

For the rest of you who haven't over indulged on the chocolate train, and love love love cupcakes, I have a recipe for you. As you may or may not know, Trophy Cupcakes are my absolute favorite. They are moist and airy. Sweet, creamy, mouth watering goodness. They are perfect and wonderful and I love them. Lucky or not so lucky, depending on how you look at the situation, they have a cute little shop just down from my house.

Martha Stewart also loves them and has been kind enough to share a Trophy Cupcake recipe on her website, so that we can all enjoy these amazingly delicious bundles of heaven.

Not only are these cupcakes amazing, they are even more special topped with a tiny little pumpkin. The Texanerin has made a wonderful tutorial on how to make these cute little fondant pumpkins. They are perfectly cute on top of a cupcake or in a patch on top of a cake.

I hope you don't over indulge this evening, as I have. Have a fun and exciting Halloween!

[Print Recipe]

HALLOWEEN CUPCAKE RECIPE (makes 24)
{recipe adapted from Trophy Cupcakes via Martha Stewart}

Cupcake Ingredients
2 1/4 cups plus 2 tbsp sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Frosting Ingredients
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup whole milk

Tiny Pumpkin Ingredients
fondant
orange, brown, and green food coloring

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners and set to the side.

2. In a large bowl, sift the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a hand mixer, on low speed, combine the dry ingredients.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.

4. Add the boiling water and stir.

5. Pour the batter into the muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely.

6. While the cupcakes are cooling, beat the butter until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes on medium speed.

7. Add the sugar and cocoa powder, and mix until combined. Add the vanilla and milk and beat until light and airy, approximately 3 - 4 minutes. Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost them. I used a piping bag with a 1M tip. Please follow this link for instructions.

8. To make the tiny pumpkins, please follow this great tutorial from the Texanerin.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

I just got back from an awesome vacation. It was long. Three weeks long to be exact. On this vacation I got fat and sassy. I guess there was too much drinking, eating, and lying about. Is that even possible?

This week I said enough to the fat and sass. I started exercising. Exercising like a maniac. This is what I do. I am a maniac.

I must have stretched, pulled, strained, and/or broke my left side, because I've now got this muscle pain thing. It's in my hip. It's in my side. It runs from my hip through my side. I'm not sure what's going on. I feel old. Not like 32 old. Like 89 old.

I now have a limp. It's hot. It's cool. I know.

I love to bake. I love magic. I like things sweet, and cakey, and chocolatey.

I made these cupcakes. They are amazing. I love them. I mean really really love them. I made twelve. Twelve delicious cupcakes. Twelve delicious cupcakes sitting on a pretty pedestal, sitting on my counter, staring at me in the face - every day. I still have five. Five cupcakes left. This is surely a sign that I need more friends. Cupcakes should not last this long. This is just wrong.

Someone better get over here and help me eat the rest of these cupcakes. Or else. Or else I will throw them out. And that's not cool. Not cool at all.

My husband likes cupcakes, but to be honest, he's more of a savory guy. I know, it's weird right?

He's also got great self-control. This is a term that I am unfamiliar with (self-control).

Yesterday, I ate two cupcakes and he ate only one.

This cupcake over indulgence might be related to my ultimate ninja training. Ninja training burns a whole lot of calories you know. I'm now able to eat more than him (my husband). It's awesome, right?

I shouldn't have to say this again, but I will. These cupcakes are totally spectacular.

I put a raspberry on each cupcake for a little flare. They didn't need it. I know. They were fine on their own. Perfectly acceptable. But you know, raspberries just make things better. Kind of like puppies. Ya, that's right. Puppies make everything better.

Wowzers, chocolate, I know. So good, right? You bet I dipped my finger right in that bowl of chocolate. Oh yes I did. And it tasted amazing.

VANILLA CUPCAKES WITH CHOCOLATE FROSTING RECIPE 
makes 24 cupcakes
adapted from More From Magnolia
notes: self-rising flour is simply all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. For every one cup of flour, use 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. 

CAKE INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract

ICING INGREDIENTS
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted, softened butter
1 1/2 cups of bitter sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Line a muffin tin with cups. Set to the side.

Mix the two flours together with a wire whisk and set to the side.

In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until smooth light and fluffy - 3 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, and beat until combined.

In a small bowl and the vanilla to the milk. Add the milk and flour to the butter in 3 equal parts, alternating between the two. Beat until all the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix.

Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Once done, remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

To make the frosting, use a double boiler, or fill a medium saucepan 1/2 full with water. Place it on the stove and heat the water on low. Place a small bowl or smaller saucepan into the saucepan ensuring that it is touching the water. Pour the chocolate chips into the bowl and continue to stir until melted. Once melted, remove from the stove and water and let cool to room temperature.

Once the chocolate has cooled, place the butter into a bowl and beat with a hand mixture until light and fluffy. Add the chocolate to the butter and beat until combed.

Add the vanilla and then the powdered sugar. Beat until fluffy. Do not over mix.

With a spatula, scoop the icing into a piping bag. Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes.