Amazing Cupcake Recipe!

Especially following the failure of my last cupcakes (or more specifically...the frosting from my last cupcakes...), I was really excited to discover a delicious recipe today. Here's the back information: I wanted to make a treat for the women I visiting teach. I was thinking about making cookies, but I really prefer the dough to the actual cookies. I do, however, have a passion for cupcakes. And although I had been frustrated with my last batch of cupcakes, I was loving the dollop of raspberry preserves in the middle. So I decided to try doing that again...this time making chocolate raspberry cupcakes. I would like you to know that as a general rule, I don't like things with chocolate in it. I love chocolate itself, but I hate chocolate ice cream, chocolate pudding, and chocolate cake. It was okay though, I was making these for other people!

I didn't have a chocolate cake mix in my cupboard (big surprise there...since I don't usually eat chocolate cake!) so I decided to make one from scratch. Which seemed intimidating at first...but turned out to be fairly simple. Here's the recipe I used:

Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes

3/4 c. shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa (6 tbsp.)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Blend above ingredients and last of all add 1 cup boiling water. Spoon batter into the bottom of cupcake liners, adding a dollop of Raspberry Preserves in the middle, and spoon more batter on top, filling the cupcake liner 3/4 full.

Bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean (approximately 20 minutes).

The cupcakes came out of the oven looking fabulous! I was so happy that they hadn't spilled over the edges. They were beautifully round on the top and everything. I didn't take a picture because at this point I didn't know they were going to be good enough to blog about. :)

After the cupcakes had cooled, I used the following recipe to make frosting. And let me warn you, it was so good that I had a hard time keeping myself from licking the sides of the bowl!

Chocolate Butter-cream Frosting

1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. shortening
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lbs. powdered sugar
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/4 c. water

Cream first 4 ingredients until well blended (3 minutes) on medium speed. Add sugar, cocoa and water; beat until well blended. *You may want to add extra cocoa powder depending how chocolate-y you want your frosting to taste.

This time I didn't go through the hassle of trying to make the frosting go on the cupcakes all fancy. I just frosted them with a knife and put some pink sugar sprinkles on top to go along with the Raspberry theme.


Seriously, I just can't get over how well these turned out. And how easy they were to make. I had no idea I could make cake without a pre-boxed mix and have it turn out so well, without taking tons of extra time. Try it, people. I liked it and I don't like chocolate cake! And to vouch for it even more...I gave some of the extra cupcakes to someone else in the ward and they called me five minutes later saying they usually hate cupcakes but love these.