Don't make cupcakes while on a diet...

Words to live by. It just isn't a good idea.

Remember these cupcakes?


I do. They were good.


mmmmm....really good. I don't even like chocolate cupcakes. (gasp, I know.)


Maybe it was the chocolate ganache filling, the super fluffy icing, I don't know, but these were good cupcakes, and I wanna share the recipe with you.

This is actually a combo from many different dessert recipes that I know.


First up, the cake.

For this cupcake I used the best chocolate cake recipe ever from my friend Amanda.
Seriously, it is. I had my doubts, but it has lived up to my expectations every time.

Ingredients:

1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 small box Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Just dump every thing into your mixer and your are done! This batter will be very thick and rise more than a regular cake. Keep that in mind and add about 10-15min on to the baking time.

Next up, the chocolate ganache and icing, courtesy of a blog I stumbled on called Creative Loafing by Priscilla Tsai

Chocolate Ganache Filling
Makes enough to fill 12 cupcakes, and for glaze
Ingredients
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoon butter, room temperature
Method
Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it
over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. Add the butter and stir until
combined.

For the topping just add two tablespoons of corn syrup to make it shiny. I re-melted the ganache and dumped into a Ziploc and snipped a hole to drizzle over the cupcakes.

Vanilla Buttercream
Makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes

6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Reduce speed to medium. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, about 5
minutes. (After every 2 additions, increase speed to high, and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce
speed to medium-high). Add vanilla, and beat until buttercream is smooth.

I added food coloring and piped on. It really went faster than I thought it would.

Anyway, there you have it, folks. Go forth and bake, unless you gave up chocolate for Lent! :)

Speaking of Lent, my facebook fast is going okay. I haven't cheated, but I have been dying to look at what everyone is up to. Instead, I am finally making curtains for our bedroom this weekend and I have a few sewing projects lined up for the little man.

The weather has been beautiful here, so Eli and I have been taking advantage of the park close to our house.


I am also reading two marriage books and I am on week 5 of the Couch to 5K program. Today I ran 2.25 miles- woot. 3 more weeks and I will be running 3 miles. I haven't gotten this far since we were training for our 5K in Norman. I decided to try to get in a little better shape for all of our future babies! :) So far I might have lost a few pounds, but I really am not keeping track, more important to me are healthy pregnancies in the future.

Hope all of your Lent resolutions are going well too!