Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate ButterCream Frosting

I did this back for the 4th of July, we got a group of us and went down to Gas Works park in Seattle. There's a hill there so we sat and watched the boat traffic on the lake for the afternoon ready for the fireworks later that night. Probably the best part was the drunk boaters getting ordered to move away from the fireworks barge less than 300 meters out into the lake. The rain sucked but the company was amazing.

But this is all about the freedom, these cupcakes deliver over 300 calories of freedom per cake straight to the heart. But the sugary goodness is amazing. Bonus for me is that I got to whip out the piping tool and make a go of it. If you don't want to get that excited its cool, just use a knife, but know you're missing out on a whole lot of messy fun right there.

Check this out at http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/10/classic-yellow-cupcakes-with-chocolate-buttercream-frosting.html, that's where I found it.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1 cup granulated sugar
6 ounces (about 1/2 cup) Greek yogurt (I used nonfat honey Greek yogurt; vanilla or plain Greek yogurt, or sour cream may be substituted)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softenend
1/2 heaping cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder, sifted (I used Trader Joe's)
2 1/2 to 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted is ideal
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
splash cream or milk, only as needed for consistency
chocolate srpinkles, optional for garnishing

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a Non-Stick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan with paper liners; set aside.

Cupcakes:

1. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
2. Allow the butter to cool momentarily (so you don't scramble the eggs), and add the egg plus yolk, sugar, yogurt, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
3. Stir in the flour, baking powder, optional salt, and mix until just combined and free from large lumps; don't overmix or cupcakes will be tough.
4. Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, place about 2 tablespoons of batter per cupcake into each of the 12 cavities so they're solidly 3/4 full. There will likely be enough batter for a 13th cupcake, and either lick the bowl or discard it; or I placed a large paper liner inside a mini loaf pan, and fit the mini pan on the rack next to the main muffin pan.
5. Bake for 18 to 19 minutes, or until tops are golden, set, slightly domed, and springy to the touch. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Allow cupcakes to cool in pan for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. While they cool, make the frosting.

Frosting:

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and beat on medium-high speed until pale, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use a hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes). Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
2. Add the cocoa (sift it, or you will have a hard time getting the lumps out of the frosting), 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
3. Based on texture and taste preferences, optionally add 1/2 cup additional sugar (for 3 cups total), which I find necessary to achieve a thick consistency with my ingredients. If your frosting seems thick enough, refrain from the additional sugar and/or add a splash of cream to thin it.
4. Transfer frosting to a piping bag and frost the cooled cupcakes. I used a Wilton 1M tip . Or simply spread frosting on with a knife.
5. Optionally, garnish each cupcake with a pinch of sprinkles (do it over the sink because they fly around when they hit the frosting). Cupcakes will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. I personally am comfortable storing buttercream-frosted items at room temp, but if you prefer to store in the fridge, that's fine, but note the fridge will dry them out more quickly.

Notes:

• The liquid to sugar ratio for the frosting is the real trick, if in doubt er on the side of making it too dry, nothing is worst than runny frosting falling of your cake! Because I was using a piping bag I wanted to get it very very dry, so it stays in shape coming out of the end, that's the difference between the white and blue, and the less visually satisfying red.
• I skipped out on the cocoa for this recipe because I wanted color. Instead I added food coloring (about 20 drops per layer, but more for red; no one wants a pink American flag) and a little less liquid. But add sugar as appropriate to get the right mixture.