TWD: Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was selected by Clara of I Heart Food 4 Thought. With the huge cupcake craze that seems to be permeating every bakery, blog, and bistro (ok not bistros so much but I'm a sucker for alliteration) it's amazing that I haven't baked any up on my own lately.


Alas, those cute little cakes are often less successful for me than regular sized cakes- they end up dry from their small size or oily from the oil that was intended to keep them moist. Many TWD bakers felt that these cupcakes turned out dry and many had to reduce the baking time. Luckily for me, I was not one of those bakers.

My cupcakes went the full baking time and turned out nice and moist. I attribute my success to the thorough mixing instructions that Dorie provides- when she says to beat the sugar and butter for 2 minutes, I set a timer and do it exactly that way. Who knows if this really made a difference- but I always appreciate her detailed instructions and I figure there must be some reason she includes said details.


Like Dorie explains in her description of the recipe, the subtle sweetness of the cupcake and the richness of the chocolate makes these a more grown-up tasting treat. I also had a lot of success with the ganache- just don't expect a sugary, fluffy cloud of frosting- it is a simple and deeply chocolaty ganache.


While I had a little too much fun staging and photographing my cupcakes, Helen Mae ate some little pumpkins and gourds. She can't eat chocolate until she's one year old so I figured that it was a fair trade-off.

Stay tuned for more candy corn fun later this week!