Hey everyone! My name is Ryan, I'm the blogger behind Ryan's Baking Blog. I was recently contacted by Julie after she featured my Pink Grapefruit Yogurt Cupcakes on a recent post and she asked me to share another cupcake recipe with you all.

I decided to go really simple, a recipe that I know very well and is also very delicious. The buttercream is the star here, a smooth, creamy buttercream made using melted chocolate. A lot of chocolate buttercreams use cocoa powder, it yields a thicker, sometimes powdery product so I really prefer to melt down some unsweetened chocolate.

The buttercream can top a variety of cupcakes, anything from vanilla to peanut butter, but here I'm using it on top of chocolate cupcakes for a sweet double chocolate experience. Bonus: the chocolate cupcakes are made using one bowl so there is less cleanup to do!

If you want to go over the top, feel free to add a layer of chocolate ganache under the buttercream and top everything off with a chocolate drizzle and chocolate shavings.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes about 12 cupcakes

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cake flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup warm water

Preheat oven to 350°F and line two muffin tins with paper liners.

Sift together flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together with sugar.

Add all the wet ingredients and whisk together to combine slightly before beating with a stand or an electric mixer (so the wet ingredients don’t splash everywhere). Beat until everything is combined completely and then use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl and fold everything together until it is nice and smooth.

The batter will be wet. Use a pitcher with a lip to pour the batter into the tins. Fill about halfway and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream

Makes enough for 12 cupcakes

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate either in a microwave (checking every 30 seconds so you don’t burn the chocolate) or on a double boiler. Stir gently and let cool.

Using a stand mixer or hand mixer beat the butter and cooled chocolate together until smooth. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk, and the vanilla extract. Cream these until well blended and add the remaining sugar and milk, beating until combined and fluffy.

Do YOU want to guest blog for us? We'd LOVE to have you. Just get in touch with your idea. Julie@celebrations.com!