Magic in the Middle Cupcakes

I started out wanting to make these cupcakes that I saw on Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice that were chocolate with a caramel frosting...but I remembered that I've been wanting to try "The Best Frosting I've Ever Had" from The Pioneer Woman. It just seemed so peculiar...I had to try it to see what the whole fuss was about! So I decided to half both frostings and try them both. I used the cupcake recipe from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice (and the idea to hollow out the middle) and then used the frosting recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I ended up making both frostings, but the caramel one was just WAY too sweet for our tastes!! We LOVED the recipe for the cupcakes though! They were a little crisp on top but very moist in the center. Now let me just tell you...this frosting is UNREAL!!! I swear I've never had anything better! I first tried it when it had only been whipping for like 30 seconds and thought...it's not that good, but kept it whipping in the mixer. I let it whip for like 5 minutes on medium-high and the end result is just indescribable! You really can't know unless you try it. It's fluffy and the flavor is delicious. This frosting is definitely going to be my ONLY go-to recipe for vanilla frosting. It's just that good.

Chocolate Cupcakes

2 cups flour
1/3 cup coca powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 t vanilla
2 eggs
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled (I used chocolate chips)
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the cupcake pans by greasing or placing paper liners in them.

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl; set aside.

In a mixer on medium beat butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down bowl occasionally. Beat in vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in cooled chocolate.

Beat in flour mixture in 4 additions alternating with the milk. Begin and end with the flour mixture and beat briefly until smooth on low.

Fill cupcake wells 3/4 of the way. Bake about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan 10 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.


Frosting

1 cup milk
5 T flour
1 t vanilla
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar (NOT powdered sugar!!)

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If in a hurry, place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools or just place in the fridge.) Stir in vanilla.

While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add the cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat until it all combines and resembles whipped cream (I let it go about 5 or more minutes with the whisk attachment on the mixer.)

To hollow out cupcakes, use a small sharp knife to cut out the center at an angle so the piece you cut out looks like a cone and is about an inch long. Fill in the hole with frosting (I just used a butter knife.) Cut the end off of the "cone" and put the lid back on top of the cupcake. Then frost as usual! Enjoy...it's such a fun twist on normal cupcakes!

*Cupcakes from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice
*Frosting from The Pioneer Woman