A few days ago, it was Amelia’s friend Bryn’s 5th birthday. Any birthday in quarantine is hard, so we wanted to make it special by making her some yummy cupcakes. You know how much I love my Cakes cookbook by Melissa Ben-Ishay (evident by all of these cakes I’ve made over the years) so I whipped it out and started to look through it with Amelia.
She finally settled on chocolate cupcakes with a vanilla frosting, so that’s what we made! Big, fluffy chocolate cupcakes with mounds of vanilla frosting and sprinkles on top. They’re light and airy and even the frosting was light and yummy.
We snuck over to their house early in the am and decorated her driveway, put up some birthday yard signs and left the cupcakes at her door for a surprise breakfast treat.
An hour later, we got a message saying how happy Bryn was that we made her birthday special. These cupcakes helped make her day special and I hope they do the same for someone special to you!
Ps – I’ms still working on my cupcake piping skills. 🙂 Don’t judge!
Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups full-fat greek yogurt, room temperature
For the frosting:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 3/4 confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tin with cupcake liners and set aside.
- With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 1 minute on high speed, then scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the granulated sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add the vanilla extract. While mixing at medium-low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the edges of the bowl midway through.
- Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and sea salt in a separate bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture. When it’s mostly incorporated, add half the yogurt. Add the remainder of the dry and wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Stop mixing as soon as you have a smooth batter.
- Fill muffin tins almost to the top and bake until cupcakes feel springy when you gently press your finger against them, 17-20 minutes. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting: with an electric mixer at low speed, whip the butter on high speed for 1 minute. Add the vanilla and whip just to incorporate. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the sugar 1 cup at a time, until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between additions. Whip on high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- To assemble, dollop a spoonful of frosting on top of the cupcake and spread in a circular pattern. Repeat until all cupcakes are frosted. Top with sprinkles, if desired. Enjoy!
Season Generously 