Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Icing

Okay...how incredible do these look? Yeah...they taste even better! The cupcake is super yummy and rich. The icing...light and creamy. They totally compliment each other and it was incredible! Make them! And enjoy.

Cupcakes:

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

Frosting:

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, at room temp

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler and place it over, but not touching, a saucepan of barely simmering water (or the bottom of the double boiler). Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from the water and set aside to cool slightly.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until smoothly blended and creamy, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, mix in the melted chocolate. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is blended into the batter. Add the vanilla and beat until the mixture looks creamy and the color has lightened slightly about 1 minute. Mix in the sour cream until no white streaks remain. On low speed, add half of the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it. Mix in the water. Mix in the remaining flour mixture until it is incorporated and the batter looks smooth. *DO NOT OVER MIX!*

Position rack in the middle of the oven. preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 18 muffin tin cups with paper cupcake liners.

Fill each paper liner with a generous 1/4 cup batter, to about 1/3 inch from the top of liner. Bake just until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pans on wire racks.

Carefully place a wire rack on top of pan of cupcakes. Protecting your hands with pot holders and holding the pan and rack together, invert them to release the cupcakes onto the wire rack. Turn the cupcakes top side up to cool completely. Repeat with the second pan of cupcakes.

Make the frosting: Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler and place it over, but not touching, a saucepan of barely simmering water (or the bottom of the double boiler). Stir the chocolate until it is melted and smooth. Remove from the water and set aside to cool slightly.

Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Add the butter, and using an electric mixer on low speed, beat until smoothly blended, about 2 minutes. At firs the mixture will look crumbly, but then it will form a smooth mass. Beat in the melted chocolate. Add the vanilla and cream, mixing to incorporate. On medium speed, beat the frosting for at least 3 minutes, until it looks smooth and creamy and the color lightens.

Using a small spatula, spread about 3 tablespoons of frosting on top of each cupcake, mounding the frosting in the center.

*I only put 2 TBLS frosting (although they were heaping) and that was a ton! I had quite a bit of frosting left over...delish! My uncle got mad at me for disposing of the extra frosting. Sorry Uncle Paul!*

As you can see we all enjoyed, enjoyed, and enjoyed some more!