Devil's Food Baby Shower Cupcakes (It's a boy!)

These are how the cupcakes for my brother's baby shower turned out! The only differences from the test run that I did are I used foil liners, and I topped the cupcakes with white sugar pearls.  That and the quantity of course, since this time I septupled the original recipe which only yielded 12 cupcakes.  I did three batches doubled, and then one the original size.  I got to sample a cupcake from each batch, since 80 cupcakes had been requested, poor me. ;]

I've noticed paper liners pretty much get dominated by any dark batter, so I love foil liners for this purpose.  They also add some elegance since they keep a clean, crisp appearance even after baking.

I go easy on the sugar pearls because I don't want to take away from the frosting at all, but they make a beautiful accent!  That and not everyone wants a slight crunch to their cupcakes, haha, if you've never used them before I suggest tasting one so you know their consistency.  5-8 was a perfect amount for me.  I was told later people at the party were actually asking if they were edible, which I had to smile at, since I've never seen a beaded cupcake, haha, these are the ones I used:

I stuck with the blue food color and violet icing dye to get a baby blue color.  Being a person on the verge of OCD, this means I made a giant batch of frosting to ensure that all of the cupcakes matched in color.  Remember, less is more!  Go easy on the violet.  If you're not familiar with icing dyes, here is an example of what to look for:

I used large foil pans to store these, which were perfect.  They were sturdy and deep enough to keep the cupcakes safe for their car trip.  I kept them in the fridge over night, and arrived a little early at the baby shower so they had plenty of time to get back to room temperature.

I have the recipes in my last post, but here they are again just in case!

Devil's Food Cupcakes 
Adapted from Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski
Makes 12 cupcakes

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp.
• 1 large egg, room temp.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

~Preheat oven to 350°F.  Prepare muffin tins with cupcake liners.

~Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  I don't normally sift, but cocoa powder always clumps up for me.

~In a large bowl beat together the sugar, brown sugar, and butter until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.  

~At this point add about 1/3 of your flour mixture, alternating with the water and buttermilk.  You should start and end this process with the flour mixture.  Beat just until combined.  Spoon your batter into your prepared muffin tins, no less than two-thirds full.

~Pop these in the oven and bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  (Mine needed the full 18 minutes this time around, but I did still check after 16.)

~Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

~Once cooled, top with frosting and decorations of your choice.  Enjoy and indulge in these chocolate goodies!

Basic Buttercream Frosting

C&H Recipe

Frosts 10-12 cupcakes

• 1 lb. box powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup butter (2/3 stick), room temp.

~Combine all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.  I'd recommend an electric mixer to start on this one, scraping the bowl often.  If it seems too stiff to spread or pipe easily, beat in milk a few drops at a time.

~To get the color of mine it took roughly 3-6 drops of blue food coloring, and a small dab of violet icing dye.  Less is more with this, you can always add more later!