Valentine Love Letter Cupcakes
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
These adorable chocolate cupcakes are topped with a decadent chocolate glaze and adorned with love notes - perfect for your Valentine! Recipe source: Martha Stewart
Serves: 18-24 cupcakes
Ingredients
For Cupcakes:
  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons safflower oil (I used canola instead)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For glaze:
  • ⅔ cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces chopped chocolate (I used milk chocolate today)
  • 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
For writing decoration:
  • 4 ounces melted white chocolate
Instructions
For cupcakes:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside.
  3. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
  4. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
  5. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each ⅔ full.
  6. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
For glaze:
  1. Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming hot but not boiling.
  2. Place chocolate and corn syrup in a small bowl.
  3. Pour hot cream over chocolate mixture, and stir until smooth. Use immediately.
For decoration:
  1. Dip tops of each cupcake in chocolate glaze, letting excess drip off.
  2. Let stand until set, about 30 minutes.
  3. Fit a pastry bag with the smallest plain round tip.
  4. Fill bag with melted white chocolate, and use to write on cupcakes.
  5. Decorated cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 2 days.
Recipe by Lemon Sugar at http://lemon-sugar.com/valentine-love-letter-cupcakes/