Fun fact: I use to bake cupcakes as a side hustle. It feels like forever and a day, but there was a time when I baked upwards to 2000 cupcakes a week for a local market. Customers would show up before I arrived, a line would form from my booth all the way out the door, and then I’d sell out within an hour. It was kind of wild, I shit you not. While I would still love to be baking for the masses, with three kids, a full time job and a restaurant, it’s just not possible. Anyway, I was feeling slightly nostalgic recently and decided to dust off the cupcake tins and host a local giveaway. I was pumped to see that the winner was a former customer who religiously braved the line every Saturday morning at the market. The winner was allowed to choose whichever flavour she wanted and guys, she did not disappoint. Let me introduce to you what was formally known as Tall, Dark and Handsome. With its super moist and chocolaty cake base and decadent dark chocolate frosting, it’s definitely a head turner. I had sworn years ago that I would never share my cupcake recipes (a magician never reveals his secrets, after all), but in the spirit of the holiday season I am gifting you this amazing Dark Chocolate Cupcake recipe. I’m like the fucking Santa Claus of cupcakes, what can I say?

Scroll below for this Dark Chocolate Cupcake recipe and if you haven’t already, don’t forget to subscribe! 😉

Here’s what you’ll need:

 For the cupcake base:

• ¾ cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cups cocoa
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup warm coffee

For the icing:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• ½ cup cocoa
• 1 cup dark chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups icing sugar
• Coffee
• Sprinkles, if desired

Here’s what you’ll do:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line cupcake tins. Set aside.
2. For the cupcake base, beat oil and sugar together with an electric mixer in a large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Add flour mixture and buttermilk to wet mixture, mix until just combined. Add warm coffee and mix until combined.
5. With an ice cream scoop, scoop an even spoonful of batter into each cupcake liner. Bake for 22 minutes. Remove from oven and place cupcakes onto cooling rack.
6. For the frosting, add water to a large pot (half way to the top) and place on stovetop. Add dark chocolate chips to a large metal bowl and place bowl on top of the pot of water (creating a double boiler). Heat on medium/high heat, stirring frequently until chocolate is just melted. Quickly remove from heat and let cool until lukewarm.
7. In a mixing bowl, combine butter, cooled melted chocolate, vanilla and cocoa and slowly beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Gradually add icing sugar. Adjust consistency with coffee until frosting is firm enough to pipe.
8. Once cupcake bases are completely cool, pipe frosting onto cakes. Add sprinkles if designed and enjoy!

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