Rich Devil's Food Cupcakes

Pumpkin scones. That's what I set out to bake in the morning yesterday for our cousin Heena and her absolutely adorable daughter Jiyaa who were coming over for a play date in the afternoon. As soon as I began to measure the flour I saw that I was a cup short! The need to bake was itching at me, so I looked through my books until I found a recipe that called for no more than a cup full of flour and ensuring that the rest of the ingredients were those that I had on hand. And that's how and why I baked these cupcakes. They came out moist and yummy, and from 12, we only have 2 left! 

This recipe is from the book Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski. I haven't baked cupcakes in a long time, but now that I've started, I'm excited to try more– Chai and Honey Cupcakes will be the next bake. 

Baking has been a passion of mine since I was a little girl. My mother bakes fabulously, and I learnt from her. Her two main rules that I still live by are: 1. Never mess with the measurements and 2. Eggs, butter and any other refrigerated ingredient such as buttermilk should always be at room temperature unless the recipe asks for otherwise.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1/4 cup buttermilk

Rich Chocolate Glaze

1 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp light corn syrup

Pinch salt

8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. 
3. In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. 
4. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat on medium-high speed just until no traces of flour remain, 30 seconds; do not overbeat.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake until  toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18–20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
6. As the cupcakes cool, make the glaze. In a small saucepan combine the cream, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate, and let stand for about 3 minutes. 
7. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Let cool to room temperature and use right away. 

The glazed cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days; bring to room temperature before finishing and serving.

The cooled glaze can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; before using, soften the glaze by gently heating in a heatproof bowl set over, but not touching, simmering water in a saucepan.