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:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside.
Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
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.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each ⅔ full.
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:
Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming hot but not boiling.
Place chocolate and corn syrup in a small bowl.
Pour hot cream over chocolate mixture, and stir until smooth. Use immediately.
For decoration:
Dip tops of each cupcake in chocolate glaze, letting excess drip off.
Let stand until set, about 30 minutes.
Fit a pastry bag with the smallest plain round tip.
Fill bag with melted white chocolate, and use to write on cupcakes.
Decorated cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 2 days.
Recipe by Lemon Sugar at https://lemon-sugar.com/valentine-love-letter-cupcakes/