part deux- hello cupcake

phew! for a moment i thought i had lost my cupcake-making mojo. good thing it came back, because today i made some petite-sized mother's day cuppies that go perfectly with the cake platter i made yesterday. sweet success...

can you tell they are a bouquet of carnations and begonias? hmmmmm...me either.

but i think they look pretty nonetheless.

and here's another cake platter that i made with another porcelain bowl. another lucky find at goodwill. i like how the lavender cuppies look all grouped together.















i thought about giving them away...









...but then the kids and i ate them. we couldn't resist.





luckily they can be made in a snap.
here's my favorite recipe for chocolate cake below.
it has never let me down...

lennie's deep dark chocolate cake
from recipezaar.com

2 c. white sugar
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. canola oil (or melted butter)
2 t. vanilla extract
1 c. brewed coffee

preheat oven to 350 degrees. line mini-muffin or muffin tin with liners. in a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. add the eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla. mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. stir the coffee in by hand. the batter will look a tad soupy, but do not fear, they will puff up and round out evenly when they bake. next, pour evenly into the liners about halfway. bake for 15-20 minutes for minis or 20-25 minutes for regular cupcakes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.

buttercream frosting

2 sticks of butter, softened

4 c. confectioner's sugar, sifted

2 t. vanilla

pinch of salt

1/4 c. milk

cream butter until light and fluffy. beat in sugar, vanilla and salt. add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the frosting has a smooth consistency.

then click on this link...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9qtZwHHmx4

and it will take you to a video tutorial on you tube that shows how to frost the cupcakes into begonias and carnations. do not fear: a lovely lady named allison will walk you step by step through the process.

i won't show you the cupcakes from yesterday because, frankly, they had the face that only a mother could love... they tasted good anyway:)

so if your mom loves:

chocolate + flowers + cupcakes +handmade

this is a winner.

(and the cake stand is a bonus).

happy, sweet mother's day to all the moms out there!

dawnie