Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Mmmmm...yummy!  The reason why I know for sure...I left six in a container before Rich went to hockey. When he came home, three were gone!

You may remember the posting from my trip to San Francisco back in December. My girlfriend Sarah surprised me with The GHIRARDELLI Chocolate Cookbook.  I decided to try the Dark Chocolate Cupcakes found on page 68 of the book.

      

Sift the dry ingredients.

Shake, shake, shake!

Combine wet ingredients.  Whisk the dry ingredients.  Add to the wet.

Divide the batter into muffin tins. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Let cool completely.

I used Wilton round tip 12 to pipe the frosting.

Creamy, rich and delicious!

Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 12 Cupcakes

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk (I substituted vanilla soy milk)
1/3 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners or spray with non stick spray and set aside. (I used mini muffin tins and the recipe went a long way. In total I was able to make about 24 mini cupcakes.)

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, brown and white sugars. Whisk in the milk, coffee and melted butter. Whisk in the dry ingredients. Divide the batter evenly among the liners, filling them about three-quarters full.

Bake for 15 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle of the cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool for ten minutes then remove from pans. Continue to cool on a wire rack to room temperature.

For the frosting recipe, click here.

My mom gave me these adorable candles that spelled out "Happy Birthday." They acted as very cute cupcake toppers!

Happy Birthday Julia!