Seon's Chocolate Cupcakes

These are the fluffiest chocolate cupcakes ever. Toothsome, too! I've never shared my secret recipe with anyone, so this is an exclusive!

Seon's Chocolate Cupcakes:

Yields: About 18 cupcakes

Total Time: 45 min

Ingredients:

2 c all-purpose unbleached flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

12 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 c plus 2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 c nonalkalized cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/4 c water

1/4 c milk

1 c sour cream

1/2 c vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Paper-line 18 muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth; about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and slowly add the sugar. Continue beating until light and smooth, about 4 minutes. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat at medium speed for 1 minute more. (Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl again, if needed.) With the mixer running at medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Add sour cream, veg oil, vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Combine the water and milk in a saucepan and bring just to just below a boil-- small bubbles. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer at low speed, add the flour mixture, about a 1/4 cup at a time. Carefully pour the warm liquid into the batter. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a large rubber spatula, finish combining the batter until smooth.

Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pans and leave them on the rack to cool completely.

Make your favorite icing to frost these babies. I like buttercream on them, but I've also made regular white icing and a lemon icing just for fun. Chocolate icing would also work well. Decorate as desired!