Chocolate Cuppiecakes with Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Frosting

This chocolate cupcake recipe is my never fail recipe I can always rely on when baking for an event.  The frosting is not too sweet and the cake is always extremely moist.  Remember to fill the cupcake wells halfway, as this recipe tends to rise more than others.  Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten and Hershey's.

Ingredients: 
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Frosting, recipe follows

Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners.

Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the lined cupcake pans and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Frost and decorate as desired.

Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted 

2/3 cup cocoa powder (use Hersheys Special Dark Cocoa) 

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Directions: 

In a large mixing bow, add melted butter and then stir in cocoa at low speed.  Alternately add powdered sugar and milk until smooth.  Stir in vanilla.

Line cupcake pans.

Measure dry ingredients into a sifter.

Mix on low with a paddle attachment.

In a separate bowl, measure liquid ingredients.

Add liquid mixture to dry mixture.

Measure a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

Slowly add to the mixture.

Mix just until combined.

Batter will have a watery consistency.

Fill each cupcake well 1/2 way with batter.  Bake in a 350-degree oven for 18-20 minutes.

Add melted butter to measured dry ingredients in a bowl with a wire wisk until smooth.

Frost away! 

Happy baking.

xoxo
Grace