4th of July Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
We had two big cookouts to go to this holiday weekend. I wanted to use my star sprinkles and my flag cupcake liners so I needed a light colored cake and a dark frosting. I decided to take a vanilla cupcake and add chocolate chips to it. These cupcakes were really good. The cake was perfectly dense but still moist and crumbly.
The frosting really is to die for. By adding the hot cocoa mix, there is an extra creaminess to this frosting. Multiple people commented that it tasted like mousse. I couldn’t agree more. I even used some to dip my strawberries in to. WOW was that good. The frosting recipe did make a large batch. It frosted 24 cupcakes plus I have about 2 cups of frosting leftover.
Chocolate Chip cupcakes – adapted from Vanilla cupcakes from Crazy Delicious – original recipe from Martha Stewart – makes 24
1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips + 1 Tbsp flour (toss to coat chocolate chips)
Mix the dry ingredients
Add butter
Whisk eggs, milk and vanilla
Add wet ingredients 1/3 at a time to the dry ingredients
Stir in chocolate chips – be sure to coat the chips with flour so they don’t all sink to the bottom while baking
Bake for 17-22 minutes at 325 degrees or until a toothpick comes out clean
Chocolate Frosting – from Joy The Baker
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup Ovaltine – I used Ghirardelli hot cocoa
Cream together butter, cocoa powder and salt. Butter mixture will be very thick.
Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add powdered sugar. Turn mixer on low and mix in powdered sugar while adding milk and vanilla extract. As the sugar incorporates, raise the speed of the mixer to beat the frosting. Beat until smooth.
In a 2 cup measuring glass, stir together heavy cream and Ovaltine. Turn mixer speed to medium and pour cream mixture into frosting in a slow, steady stream. Mix until incorporated.
If you’d like a thinner consistency, add heavy cream a tablespoon at a time until you’re happy with the frosting.
These look SO good. I was actually looking for s’mores _____ because I wanted to bake something with chocolate and marshmallows. These may be just the thing!
These are so cute! Now I’m craving real smores!
So freakin cute, I love them, so would my boys. Just today, Liam was picking up sticks in the yard and asked if he could start a fire so that he could make smores. I kid you not. He is 5. Where do they get these ideas?
Adorable Jen! Thanks so much!
I lurve smores! Your mini smore cupcakes are so fabulous. Great job!
-Clara
yum! what a great idea!
That idea is brilliant! Smores is one of my favorite all time treats and who doesn’t love a mini muffin? Wow, what a great idea.
WOW. those look completely luscious!
want some.
i’m hoping to enter the hero challenge this time, but i can’t quite decide what to make. . .
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kate
http://www.thecleanplateclub.net
join the cookie carnival!
http://www.bubbleandsqueak.biz/cleanplateclub/2008/03/cookie-carnival-march.html
These are so wrong, but so right! That batch would be seriously unsafe in my house. They’d have to be given away immediately or I’d risk eating every last one and never fitting in my pants again.
These will be perfect for an upcoming family vacation. We’re not camping, but are renting a house with a fire pit and we usually spend every night out there making s’mores. I can easily make the cupcakes beforehand and then we can roast the marshmallows outside. It will be something cute and different. Thanks for this recipe!!!