Sunday, September 20, 2009


basic is sometimes best

so i mentioned i'm moving and with child. easy enough to do on here, not quite so much in real life. i mean, announcing you are pregnant is fun and people are generally happy about that. but telling your coworkers you are leaving in less than a month right after you deliver the fun baby news isn't quite as fantastic. i figured i needed some sort of treat to sweeten to news.

i knew i was telling work after husband and i saw the ultrasound, so i had to make the treats the night before. i haven't been cooking, though, at any point of the week, due to morning/afternoon/night sickness, so it was a bit of a challenge to get myself into the kitchen. i figured easy was best and since i started these at 10:30 pm (what is it with me and work treats and late nights??). i quickly decided upon another martha stewart recipe. her one bowl chocolate cake has never steered me wrong, but i think i was missing an ingredient or two. so i found this substitution.




chocolate cupcakes (adapted slightly from martha stewart)
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c sour cream
1/4 c yogurt (plain or vanilla)

1. in a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside
2. in a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
3. add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla
4. on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream/yogurt, beginning and ending with flour

5. pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full
6. bake at 350F until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes
7. c
ool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

easy white icing (martha stewart)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 lb (3 2/3 c) powdered sugar
1 to 2 tbsp milk

1. cream butter until smooth.
2. gradually add powdered sugar; beat until smooth
3. if too thick to spread, beat in 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
4. spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes


i used a star tip to pipe a bit of icing (i call this buttercream, but i'll let martha have her way this time) on each cupcake, then topped with chocolate crunch bits. the recipe says it makes 12 regular sized cupcakes, but i had a bit extra and made 4-5 mini cupcakes in addition to the 12. some for husband!

you can't resist

so husband and i saw the baby and it was time to deliver the news to my office. cupcakes in hand, i showed ultrasound pictures and got them all excited before telling them i was off to chicago. i think the cupcakes were necessary. while i'm excited ot move and start something new, i really love my coworkers (i call them friends) and it's very bittersweet.

these cupcakes, on the other hand, were not. super sweet and the cake was so good. this recipe might replace the one bowl version. i loved the dense but moist crumb. and honestly, with all the things you can do to cupcakes, sometimes a basic, simple white frosting on chocolate cake is all you need.

2 comments:

What's Cookin Chicago said...

Gorgeous looking cupcakes - great job!

Thomas said...

Mmm, I love super sweet. Definitely a good pairing with bittersweet.