Who doesn’t love chocolate? No, really, who doesn’t? I may have been guilty of growing up without an appreciation for chocolate, but I’ve come around and now truly appreciate all that is holy about chocolate. So when I see chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting, my brain gets excited.

I don’t normally participate in the cupcake craze. I judge the people I see waiting hours in line for a Georgetown Cupcake in DC. But sometimes, for parties, cupcakes are kind of handy because people can just grab one and eat it while standing without any silverware. Plus, sometimes I think people are intimidated by cake, but not cupcakes. So anyways, I made these double chocolate cupcakes for the June birthday party I threw, and well, all I can tell you is I only got to taste the dough and frosting because these were gone before I even got to eat one. So I’m hoping that means they were good. Plus they are super fun to decorate if you go the extra mile and create the chocolate toppings (it’s a lot easier than it seems, I promise!!).

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients (makes 12)
Cupcake-
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup warm coffee
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup olive oil

Frosting-
1 stick butter, softened
1/6 cup sweetened condensed milk (just fill half of the 1/3 measuring cup)
1 egg yolk
1/8 cup water
1/6 cup semi sweet chocolate (you can just melt chocolate chips if that’s what you have)
1-2 cups powdered sugar (original recipe did not include this, but I found the frosting way too runny, so I just kept adding powdered sugar until it seemed to get firm enough to stay on the cupcakes)

Decorations-
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate, melted

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake papers in the muffin pan. Go ahead and make your coffee.

2. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and baking soda in a bowl with a whisk until there are no lumps.

3. In a small bowl, mix the coffee, vinegar, vanilla, and olive oil. Pour these into the dry ingredients and mix until they come together. It’s ok to have lumps at this point.

4. Spoon the batter into the pan, making sure you fill all 12 cups evenly.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once done, let the cupcakes cool on a wire rack.

5. While the cupcakes are cooking, you can prepare the frosting. In a small saucepan, mix the egg yolk, water, and condensed milk. Heat over low heat, but gradually increase until steam is coming off the pan, but make sure it is not boiling. Continue whisking until the mixture has thickened. Turn off the heat, and immediately add the chocolate and mix until it is entirely incorporated.

6. In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter on high with the whisk attachment for several minutes until it is light and fluffy. Add the mixture from the stove and continue beating for a few more minutes with the whisk attachment. Now place the frosting in the fridge to harden for a few minutes before continuing.
(Missing a picture of the final frosting product. Sorry! This is what happens when I try to document baking while rushing to finish for a party!)

7. Once the cupcakes have cooled, and the frosting has hardened, you can spread the frosting on the cupcakes. You can do this just with a knife, or with a frosting set if you have one. I used my frosting set to create spirals on top.

8. To create the chocolate decorations to go on top of the frosting, melt the chocolate in the microwave. Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter. Once the chocolate is melted, transfer it to a piping bag, or a plastic bag with a small tiny hole cut in a bottom corner.

9. Create your designs on the wax paper. Then place the wax paper on a pan or cutting board and put the finished products into the freezer. Leave them in the freezer until right before you want to serve them. These guys will only last for a little bit, especially if it’s hot. I also recommend storing the frosted cupcakes in the fridge until you’re ready to add these so that they’ll stand up in the frosting better.