Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

By ezunich

Ingredients

• Buttercream Frosting:
• 8 tbs unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 guar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 10 tbs unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• pinch of table salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbs heavy cream

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease muffin pan.
Combine butter, chocolate and cocoa in 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.

Whisk flour, baking soda and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

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 1/3 of 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.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake 18-20 minutes. Cool pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle. Frost.

Easy Vanilla Bean buttercream
With an electric mixer, whisk butter until smooth, about 20 seconds. Scape seeds from vanilla bean into butter and beat mixture at medium-high speed to combine, about 15 seconds. Add confectioners' sugar and salt, beat at medium-low speed until most of sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Add vanilla extract and heavy cream and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

**Chocolate Buttercream
omit vanilla bean and heavy cream. Reduce sugar to 1 cup and after beating in vanilla extract reduce speed to low and gradually beat in 4 oz melted and cooled semisweet or bittersweet chocolate