Today I made cupcakes.

Chocolate Cupcakes.

Really moist, super-delicious, chocolate cupcakes from the Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes Cookbook topped with rich chocolate frosting.

Today I quite literally discovered the meaning of Chocolate Overload.  A word to the wise, when consuming these super-delicious chocolate cupcakes with rich chocolate frosting, please do so with a really LARGE glass of milk!

I decorated my cupcakes 3 different ways and I will show you them now.  And then I will give you the recipes. Yeah, I’m a giver like that.

First I started with Birds Nest Cupcakes.

There have been a lot of blog posts this past week with different ways of making birds nests.  There is no right way or wrong way to make them, but here’s how I do it:

Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a large pot, add a bag of marshmallows (minus the ones the kids ate) stir until melted.  Add a bag of crunchy Chow Mein Noodles. Stir until well coated and put handfuls into a greased muffin cup.  Top with Cadbury Mini Eggs.

Voila!

Sure they are very cute all by them selves but, when placed on top of a chocolate cupcake, Easter dessert perfection. (And how cute would they be at a baby shower?)

Then I went simple.

Thanks to the amazingly talented, and super-sweet, Amanda at I am baker I have been practicing my cupcake roses.  Amanda covered an entire cake with big fat roses just using using a 1M tip and a swirl of the wrist.

See her Rose Cake Tutorial and try it for yourself. It’s so easy.

Mother’s Day is coming and I just know Mom would love a box of these pretty cupcakes. Seriously. She told me.

Then I overloaded!

It’s my friend Heather’s birthday on Sunday.

Heather is funny, and crazy, and off the charts ridiculously smart!  She is an amazing Mom to 2 teenage boys (who, by the way, are equally amazing). She’s a full time student. And despite having had brain surgery and having her husband stationed in Iraq, she is one of the most full of life, up-beat people I know. I am in such admiration of her.  When I grow up I want to be her.

Since she doesn’t live close to me, I had to come up with a very special cupcake, and a way to ship it.  Not knowing any other way to send a cupcake, and have it arrive in once piece, I chose the “in a jar” method.

And when she mentioned she wanted something Chocolatey-Minty I overloaded it just for her. Because she deserves more than just an average cupcake!

The construction is as follows:

Jumbo chocolate cupcake (sliced and pressed into the jar), Mint Chocolate frosting, Andes Candy pieces and mini chocolate chips, another jumbo cupcake, chocolate frosting, another jumbo cupcake, mint chocolate frosting and topped off with more Andes candy pieces and mini chocolate chips.

Damn.

I know, right!

Maybe she’ll share with the boys.  Or maybe I will be visiting her in the hospital as she recovers from her chocolate induced sugar coma!

Happy Birthday Heather – Love you!

As promised here are the recipes:

Martha Stewart’s One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Frosting

(Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Dark Chocolate Frosting)

1/4 cup plus 2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup plus 2 tbs boiling water

3 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature

4 cups of confectioners’ sugar

pinch of salt

1 pound of semi sweet chocolate – melted and cooled

*Combine cocoa and boiling water until cocoa has dissolved.

*Beat butter, 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar, and salt until fluffy.

*Reduce mixer speed and add melted chocolate.

*add 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar and beat.

*Beat in cocoa mixture.

*Add remaining confectioners sugar and beat until smooth.

So tell me, what are you going to make this weekend?

Sandy