Behave Yourself Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

Name: Behave Yourself Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
Yield: makes 12 cupcakes
Ingredients: Twelve 2 1/2-inch paper muffin-cup liners; 2 cups cake flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 large eggs, at room temperature; 1 1/3 cups sugar; 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted; 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 1 1/3 cups well-shaken buttermilk; Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing (recipe follows); 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened; One 8-ounce block cream cheese, softened; 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted (see note); 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon milk; (makes enough icing for 12 cupcakes)

December 9, 2011

Pat: Cupcakes bring out the kid in everyone. They certainly bring out the kid in me, and my girls will tell you that I love these cupcakes as much as they do. Who can blame me? They are impossible to resist. The combination of cake flour and buttermilk gives them a tender crumb and a slightly tangy flavor, and the thick, rich cream-cheese frosting—made with melted chocolate chips—puts them over the top. These cupcakes starred in the “If Pat’s a Good Boy” episode of our show. Talk about inspiration to behave! Gina often doubles this recipe so we have enough around to feed a crowd for a party or picnic, because even when folks are on their best behavior these have a way of vanishing. . . .

Cooks' Note

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a metal bowl placed over a saucepan of gently simmering water (the bowl should not touch the water).

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