Week 30 Cupcakes - Ultimate Chocolate

I'm still sulking about having to throw out most of the stuff I bake and I've cut down on my baking quite a bit.  I was looking for a cupcake recipe the other day without enthusiasm when I stumbled on this recipe for Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes from the Brown Eyed Baker.  I'd pinned it months ago but never got around to making it.  I had all the ingredients and the recipe only made 12 so I figured they would be perfect.  Oh my was I right!

1. Source:   The Brown Eyed Baker - one of my favorites

2. Ease of Recipe (1 being cake mix/canned icing - 5 tons of steps and very time consuming): 3 but mostly because I had to drag out my food processor.

3. Changes Made:  Not really a change but I left out the ganache.  Not because I wanted too but because I was getting a little too much help from the Tornado at the time.  By the time I realized the ganache was supposed to be added before the baking the cupcakes were already in the oven.  Luckily I caught it before I actually made the ganache.

4. Problems:  The actual cake didn't rise very much.  Not sure if this is actually a problem because the texture of the cake is very good and not dense at all they're just not very tall.  I'll have to make them again to see if this is the way they're supposed to be or if it was caused by all the help I got or the people who kept wandering and opening the oven door.

5.  Overall Impression:  Oh my these are good.  I had some vague idea about giving a few away but that quickly went out the window.  The cake is fudgy without being heavy and holds together beautifully.  And the frosting... this may be the best chocolate frosting ever.  It was one of those recipes that I was not entirely convinced about while reading it.  I mean who makes frosting in a food processor?  Turns out that's a great way to get all the butter and cocoa and everything combined.  You could probably have used a stand mixer but I think all the butter would've strained my hand mixer.  Then the amount of corn syrup had my eyebrows raising.  I'm not in love with super sweet frosting and I was afraid it would turn it into liquid.  However, what I already had was so good I decided to keep going with the trust.  This frosting is amazing.  Light and silky smooth, buttery, chocolate-y and pretty much all that is good in the frosting world.  I'm not giving these away and I'm not entirely sure I'm sharing them with anyone at all.

6. Quantity:  12

7. Make Again?:  Oh yes, can't imagine how amazing they'll be with the ganache.