Best-Ever Chocolate Cupcakes

I almost never make cake and make cupcakes even less. Cake is simply not my favorite dessert.  Well, Wednesday night was our monthly stamping club and I was to bring refreshments so decided to bring chocolate cupcakes. I had enough cocoa powder for the cupcakes but not for the frosting which is very nummy so went on the internet and Googled "best frosting recipe". The same recipe came up on three different sites so decided to try it. Sooo, today you will get the cupcake recipe, chocolate frosting recipe and Best Frosting Ever recipe. These cupcakes are delicious with either frosting.


Best-Ever Chocolate Cake (or Cupcakes)


2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I use unflavored coconut oil)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cold black coffee (Postum works too)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
2. Beat in the shortening with an electric mixer on low speed. Beat in milk, coffee and vanilla until combined. Increase speed to high and beat for 2 minutes. Add the eggs; beat for 2 minutes.
3. Pour batter into greased cake pans or lined muffin pan cups. Bake the cake in the middle of the oven until toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 30-35 minutes for cake; 20-25 minutes for cupcakes. Cool for five minutes, then turn the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup warm water

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Combine the cocoa powder, butter, corn syrup, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Beat on medium speed for two minutes. Add the warm water; mix well. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth.
2. Frost cake or cupcakes and enjoy!

**The above recipes came on one of those promotional recipe cards that come in the mail from Great American Home Baking.

What frosting should look like after about
45 seconds of high speed mixing.

Best Frosting Ever 

1 cup milk (any will do; I used rice milk)

5 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

Put milk in small saucepan. Whisk the flour into the milk till smooth. Cook, stirring constantly till thick--about the consistency of cake batter. Let cool completely (cooling completely is important--I put mine in the freezer to speed up the process) then add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well.

While waiting for the flour/milk mixture to cool, cream 1 cup butter with one cup granulated sugar. 

When flour/milk mixture has cooled add to butter/sugar mixture and beat with mixer till the consistency of whipped cream. Tada! It's ready to use! My stamping friends LOVED it!!!

You can find pictorial instructions for this recipe HERE.

Have a great day and a super weekend.  Hug the ones you love and pray for those you don't:) Kat