Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Oh my word, these were so scrumptious.  I brought these yummies to a cook out - attended by a bunch of hungry runners - and they disappeared before I had a chance to blink.  One runner said (and I quote!) "that may have been the best cupcake I've ever had."  The chocolate cupcakes themselves have the perfect amount of cocoa, are moist, fluffy, and aren't too sweet...allowing you to taste the chocolate more.  The frosting is definitely the BEST buttercream frosting I've ever had.  I have never used heavy cream in frosting before, and now I'll never stop!  Heavy cream makes the frosting so incredibly fluffy and melts in your mouth.  Using shortening in the frosting also gives it an amazing consistency; Not too runny, not too dense.  I don't think there's anything that compliments buttercream frosing better than rich, chocolate cupcakes. This recipe is truly perfection.

Yield: about 12 cupcakes

For the Chocolate Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one medium cupcake pan or line with paper liners.
2. Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the oil, vanilla, vinegar and water. Mix together until smooth.
3. Pour into prepared muffin pan (batter should be just below the rim, for large cupcakes. For medium cupcakes, pour batter 2/3 to 3/4 full) and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 18-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pans for 15 minutes.
4. After 15 minutes, carefully remove cupcakes from pan, place on wire rack, and allow to cool completely.  Frost generously with Buttercream Frosting (recipe below).

For the Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and butter until fluffy. Add sugar, and continue creaming until well blended.
2. Add salt, vanilla, and 6 ounces whipping cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add additional 2 ounces whipping cream if necessary. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy, at least 5 minutes.  Frost cooled cupcakes.  

You will have some frosting left over (I had about a cup)...so you can either use it for another recipe or eat it by the spoonful...your choice(;

Chocolate Lindor Truffle Cupcakes

Make this. Make this. Make this. Make this. Make this. Make this.  MAKE THIS!  Have I told you that you should make this???  Because you really should.  I got a ton of Lindor Truffles for Valentines Day, so I wanted to use them up...and I had a chocolate cupcake recipe I'd been wanting to try, so I just dropped a truffle into the batter and wah-lah! Oh my goodness, these cupcakes are a chocolate lover's paradise!!  I made these with white chocolate, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate centers...each one was incredible.  The cake part without the chocolate center was soo perfect too!  I think this chocolate cake is even better than my best chocolate cake (minus the frosting) found here. Because this cake doesn't use eggs, it makes the chocolate taste so much richer...I have no idea why.  It's so incredibly moist and sooo delicious!  They don't need frosting at all..in fact..I didn't frost most of mine.  I just posted the picture with frosting to make it look prettier for you(:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

24 Lindor Truffle Chocolate Candies (of your choice flavor)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa.
3. Add water, vegetable oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Beat by hand until smooth.
4. Pour into a lightly greased cupcake pan.  Gently set one Lindor Chocolate on the top of the batter,  do not push it down farther (this will make the truffle stick to the bottom of the pan).  Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 16-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.  

Rich Chocolate Filled Golden Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

Oh my goodness.  These just made their way to the very top of my list of favorite cupcakes.  I am extremely proud to say that I created the recipe...but I came up with the filling by mistake.  Did you know that popsicles, potato chips, chocolate chip cookies, coffee, sourdough bread, cheese, chocolate, ice cream cones, and even sandwiches were all created by mistake??  That's crazy.  But it proves that the absolute best foods were created by mistake...like these cupcakes.  The reason I started baking these cupcakes is because it was International World Nutella Day, and - of course - I just had to celebrate by eating (what else?) NUTELLA.  I started with a classic, yellow cake for the cupcake base flavor.  Then I searched my Crazy About Cupcakes cook-book for a cream filling, and as I started preparing it, I realized way too late that I had been doing the wrong recipe.  At this point I had done the first step of the chocolate filling, soooo I decided to just continue what I had started and attempted to finish my filling by tasting and altering...and tasting and altering...and tasting and altering some more...until it was just perfect.  I brought these to my friends at school to celebrate International World Nutella Day, and they couldn't stop telling me how amazing they were.  They all begged me for the recipe...so they'll probably be super duper excited that I'm finally posting it.  First, you lick off the fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth, Nutella flavored frosting.  Then you bite into that buttery, golden, soft cupcake, and lastly - your taste buds hit the extremely rich, fudgey, smooth, chocolate filling.  And you just can't help but to drool....and then grab another one.


Yield: About 12 medium-sized cupcakes


Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk


Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.  
2. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the egg yolks. Beat well. Add the vanilla. Mix.
3.  In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. 
4.  Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk.  Mix well.
5.  With clean beaters, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form.  With a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
6. Fill the cupcake liners one-half to three quarters full.  Bake for 18-22  minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcakes comes out clean.  Cool cupcake in the pan.


For the Chocolate Filling:
Ingredients:
1 cup dark brown sugar 
1/2 cup milk
3 egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder


Instructions
1.   Combine the brown sugar, milk, and egg yolks in a large saucepan. Heat the pan to medium heat. 
2.  Gradually add the chocolate to the pan, stirring constantly.  When the mixture is shiny and thick, after about 3 minutes, set aside to cool. When completely cool, cut a two-inch cake cone from the center of each cooled cupcake.  Spoon in chocolate filling and replace cake cone.  Frost with recipe below.


For the Nutella Frosting:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup Nutella
3 cups of sifted confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
Little sprinkling of salt
3 tablespoons milk

Instructions:
In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat softened butter, nutella and vanilla until well mixed. In a small bowl, mix sugar, salt and cocoa powder until its thoroughly mixed. Gradually, add this dry mixture to the butter mixture, adding milk as needed to get a creamy frosting-like consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes.

Vanilla Coffee Cupcakes w/Tiramisu Filling & Coffee Buttercream Frosting

   

I recently took a cooking class called "The Art of Cupcakes," by Chef Wynton Mann (you can check out his site at www.wyntonsworld.com), and it was so much fun!  We made five different types of incredibly delicious cupcakes: these, pumpkin cupcakes with maple and ginger buttercream frosting, banana nut cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting, chocolate cupcakes with strawberry mascarpone cream cheese-filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting, honey pear cupcakes with white chocolate and pistachio buttercream frosting.  I know you're probably drooling right now just reading over that. Imagine actually biting into them.  They were all sooo good...not one of them was even close to forgettable.  And none of the recipes are available online, so I guess you'll just have to make them all from my blog(:

Of all the cupcakes we made in the class, these are tied for my favorite with the honey pear cupcakes.  If you like coffee, then you will LOVE these cupcakes...especially the frosting.  Oh my goodness, the frosting is so rich and the best coffee-flavored thing I've ever tasted ---> I would totally eat it straight with a spoon.

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Vanilla Cupcake:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 oz. butter, at room temperature.

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon zest

For the chocolate covered espresso beans:

1/3 cup roasted coffee beans

1/2 cup chocolate chips (good quality...like Ghiradelli)

For the Tiramisu Filling:

3 large egg yolks

1/8 cup sugar

1/8 cup dark rum

1/8 cups espresso coffee

8 oz. mascarpone cheese

For the Frosting:

1/4 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons instant coffee granules

4 oz. butter, at room temperature

4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions:

For the Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.  In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.  In another bowl cream butter until smooth and creamy.  Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla, and scraping down sides of bowl in between each addition; add in lemon zest; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.  Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full.  Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.

For the Filling:

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed for about 5 minutes, or until very thick and light yellow.  Lower the speed to medium and add 1/8 cup rum, 1/8 cup espresso, and the mascarpone.  Whisk until smooth.

For the Frosting:

Pour the milk into a small glass bowl and heat in the microwave oven on high power for 30 seconds, or until very hot.  Stir in the coffee granules until they dissolve.  Set the mixture aside.  Place the butter in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds.  Stop the machine and add 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds.  Alternating, add the coffee mixture and the rest of the sugar, beating on low speed until smooth.  Add more sugar if the frosting seems thin.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until lightened, 1 to 2 minutes more.

For the beans:

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler until liquid and smooth.  Drop in a handful of beans, and stir them around.  Scoop them out with a spoon, and set them out on waxed paper.  Keep them separate.  Continue until all the beans are covered.  They will harden overnight, or if you are in a hurry, you can freeze them for about half an hour.  Once hard, they won't stick together and can be stored in any air-tight container.

Honey Pear Cupcakes with White Chocolate and Pistachio Buttercream Frosting

 

    

I recently took a cooking class called "The Art of Cupcakes," by Chef Wynton Mann (you can check out his site at www.wyntonsworld.com), and it was so much fun!  We made five different types of incredibly delicious cupcakes: these, pumpkin cupcakes with maple and ginger buttercream frosting, banana nut cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting, chocolate cupcakes with strawberry mascarpone cream cheese-filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting, and vanilla coffee cupcakes with tiramisu filling and coffee buttercream frosting.  I know you're probably drooling right now just reading over that. Imagine actually biting into them.  They were all sooo good...not one of them was even close to forgettable.  And none of the recipes are available online, so I guess you'll just have to make them all from my blog(:

By the way...of all the cupcakes we made in the class, these are my favorite....well...actually...it's a tie between these and the vanilla coffee cupcakes.  If you're not a coffee lover, then you'd like these pear ones better, though.  But if you do like coffee then, you'll definitely be all over the vanilla coffee cupcakes.  The reason I love these pear cupcakes is because they're the most unique and I'd never had anything like them before.  I'm also a huge sucker for white chocolate.  The frosting is seriously incredible...it's the best frosting I've ever had; I know pistachios sound kind of weird in a frosting - especially mixed with white chocolate - but the flavor combination of these cupcakes are absolutely perfect.

Yield:  12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

Honey Poached Pear:

1/4 cup honey

1 2/3 cup white sugar

1/2 vanilla bean

2 large pears

For the Cupcakes:

1/2 cup butter

1 honey poached pear, mashed

1 honey poached pear, sliced

1/2 cup syrup from poached pear

1.5 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

2 eggs

For the Frosting:

5 oz. white chocolate, melted

1/4 cup pistachios

4 oz. butter, at room temperature

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons milk (more or less)

Directions:

For the poached pears:

Combine 3 cups water, honey, and sugar in a large saucepan.  Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod and add to saucepan.  Bring mixture to a boil and lower heat.  Simmer for 10 minutes on low heat.  Add the pears to the mixture and continue to simmer for 20 minutes or until pears are tender.  Remove the saucepan off the heat and strain the pears into a large bowl.  Pour the honey mixture over the pears and allow cooling before placing in the refrigerator.

For the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a 12 capacity muffin tray with cupcake liners.  In a large bowl sift together flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside.  Cream butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time.  Beat well after each addition.  Alternately beat in the flour mixture and the honey syrup in three lots.  Fold in the mashed pear.  Evenly divide the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners and place a slice of the honey poached pear on top of the batter.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

Grind the pistachios with 1 tablespoon of confectioners' sugar in a food processor.  You can have the pistachios as fine or as course as you like.  Cream the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add the lemon zest and the ground pistachios and beat until combined.  Add the icing sugar, lemon juice and the melted white chocolate. Beat the frosting for 3-5 minutes, adding the milk until you achieve the consistency you want.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Mascarpone-Cheese Filling and Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

  

I recently took a cooking class called "The Art of Cupcakes," by Chef Wynton Mann (you can check out his site at www.wyntonsworld.com), and it was so much fun!  We made five different types of incredibly delicious cupcakes: these, pumpkin cupcakes with maple and ginger buttercream frosting, banana nut cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting, chocolate cupcakes with strawberry mascarpone cream cheese-filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting, honey pear cupcakes with white chocolate and pistachio buttercream frosting, and vanilla coffee cupcakes with tiramisu filling and coffee buttercream frosting.  I know you're probably drooling right now just reading over that. Imagine actually biting into them.  They were all sooo good...not one of them was even close to forgettable.  And none of the recipes are available online, so I guess you'll just have to make them all from my blog(:


Yield: 24 cupcakes


Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 cups sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


For the Filling:
1 - 8oz container mascarpone cheese, chilled
1/2 cup frozen strawberries, thawed, drained
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice


For the Frosting:
2 oz. butter, at room temperature
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vanilla


Directions:

For the Cupcakes:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line cupcake pans with liners; set aside.

3.  In a large mixing bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

4. Add the eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; mix batter until smooth.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.

5. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about one-third full.  Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20-25 minutes.

6. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

For the Filling:

In a food processor combine the mascarpone cheese, strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice.  Process the mixture until smooth.  Transfer the strawberry mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a small tip.

For the Frosting:

Cream butter and cream cheese; gradually add part of the sugar, alternating with chocolate, then milk, until well blended and spreading consistency is reached. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Banana Nut Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

I recently took a cooking class called "The Art of Cupcakes," by Chef Wynton Mann (you can check out his site at www.wyntonsworld.com), and it was so much fun!  We made five different types of incredibly delicious cupcakes: these, pumpkin cupcakes with maple and ginger buttercream frosting, chocolate cupcakes with strawberry mascarpone cream cheese-filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting, honey pear cupcakes with white chocolate and pistachio buttercream frosting, and vanilla coffee cupcakes with tiramisu filling and coffee buttercream frosting.  I know you're probably drooling right now just reading over that. Imagine actually biting into them.  They were all sooo good...not one of them was even close to forgettable.  And none of the recipes are available online, so I guess you'll just have to make them all from my blog(:

Yield: 12 cupcakes


Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten


For the Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


Garnish:
Pecans or walnuts

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple and Ginger Buttercream Frosting

I recently took a cooking class called "The Art of Cupcakes," by Chef Wynton Mann (you can check out his site at www.wyntonsworld.com), and it was so much fun!  We made five different types of incredibly delicious cupcakes: these, banana nut cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting, chocolate cupcakes with strawberry mascarpone cream cheese-filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting, honey pear cupcakes with white chocolate and pistachio buttercream frosting, and vanilla coffee cupcakes with tiramisu filling and coffee buttercream frosting.  I know you're probably drooling right now just reading over that. Imagine actually biting into them.  They were all sooo good...not one of them was even close to forgettable.  And none of the recipes are available online, so I guess you'll just have to make them all from my blog(:

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes:
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs, at room temperature
8 oz. canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil


For the Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
4 oz. butter, room temperature
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon ginger, powder
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted


Directions:
For the Cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
3.  In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
4. In another larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil.
5. Add the flour and stir until combined.
6. Divide the batter among the prepared tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.


For the Frosting:
1. Beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the butter and beat until combined. Add the maple syrup and ginger and beat to combine.  Add 1.5 cups of the sugar and beat on low speed until combined.  
2.  Optional: add up to 1/2 cup more of sugar so that the frosting is thick.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

These are my second favorite cupcakes of all time.  Actually...these may be a tie for first with my blueberry breakfast cupcakes. I honestly can't decide...they're just two completely different tasting cupcakes! These chocolate chip cookie cupcakes seriously taste EXACTLY like a chocolate chip cookie, but in a cupcake form.  The bottom part of the cupcake tastes like a moist, cake form of a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips. The topping is a soft, sweet, delightful, chocolate-y chip cookie.  They don't look that appetizing unless you cover the bumpy chocolate chip top with frosting, but they taste absolutely incredible.  The first time I made these, my family friends came over, and they couldn't get enough of them.  The kids barely even touched their dinner; they just kept asking for more of these cupcakes. Even the parents were obsessed with them.  I promise you: you will like these even more than your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Oh yeah, I went there.

Ingredients:

The topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional..I actually prefer mine without nuts)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

The cupcakes:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

6 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg, at room temperature

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Make the topping: In a large bowl combine the brown sugar, egg, and salt.  Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until thick, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the chocolate chips, nuts (if using), and vanilla extract.

2.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.

3.  Combine the butter, sugars, and vanilla in a small bowl.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy.  Add the egg and beat for 1 minute.

4.  In a separate small bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

5.  Gradually add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon until fully integrated.

6.  Fill the cupcake liners half full.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven. Turn up the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Spoon 2 tablespoons of topping over each cupcake.  Return the pan to the oven.  Bake for 10 more minutes.  Cool cupcakes in pan.

Blueberry Breakfast Cupcakes

Last spring break, my family went to the Keys in Florida, and it was about a 13 hour drive (which is the longest I've ever driven), so we left early in the morning.  The night before, I decided to make something special that we could eat in the car for breakfast.  I wanted to start spring break of on a good note - and what could start it off better than a delicious cupcake to go with some coffee on the road?  I didn't taste any of the product (besides the batter, of course) the night I made it, because I wanted the taste to be a surprise the next morning.  And ohmygoodness:  these are the best cupcakes I've ever had!  They are absolutely PERFECT.  My parents couldn't agree more...my mom ate both her cupcakes in about 10 seconds...she calls these "road trip cupcakes". These originated from one of my first cookbooks called, Crazy About Cupcakes.  You can go to the website here, but these cupcakes are not posted. The website only has a couple recipes. Buying the book is the only way to have access to all of them. And I would highly recommend buying it, because every recipe I've made from their is incredible...however, these are truly the best.  I'm definitely making these for future rode trips to come.


Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries




Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Insert liners into a medium cupcake/muffin pan.
2.  Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.  Add eggs to the creamed mixture and beat well.
3.  In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
4.  Beat portions of the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk.  Mix for 3 minutes. With a spatula, fold in the vanilla and blueberries.
5.  Fill cupcake liners one-half to three-quarters full with batter.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cupcakes comes out clean.  Cool cupcakes in pan.  Frost when completely cooled, and drizzle with maple syrup or honey.


Cream Cheese Frosting


Ingredients: 
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pure maple syrup


Instructions:
1. In a medium bowl cream together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
2.  Slowly sift the confectioners sugar and continue beating until all lumps are gone.  Add the vanilla and mix until fully integrated. Frost cooled cupcakes and drizzle with maple syrup or honey.


***I would recommend: Garnishing with fresh blueberries