Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 1/4 cups (300 mL) all-purpose flour

1/3 cup (75 mL) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 (7 mL) baking soda

1/8 tsp (7 mL) salt

1 cup + 1 Tbsp (265 mL) white sugar

1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, soft

1 large egg

1 cup (250 mL) milk

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

1 tsp (5 mL) white vinegar

For the frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (but not melted)

3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder (only for chocolate frosting; leave this ingredient out if making vanilla frosting)

1/2 teaspoon table salt

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Directions

To make the cake, preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Line 14 muffin tins with paper liners.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and mix.

In another bowl, use a baking spatula or wooden spoon to cream together the sugar and butter. Use a whisk to stir in the egg, milk and vanilla (but not the vinegar yet). Don't worry if it's a little lumpy.

Still stirring with the whisk, mix in a few spoonfuls of the flour mixture at a time. When the batter is smooth, stir in the vinegar.

Spoon into the liners to about 3/4 full. Bake 27 to 28 minutes, until a toothpick stuck into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely before spreading with frosting.

To make the frosting, cream the butter for a few minutes in a mixer on medium speed.

Turn off the mixer. Sift 3 cups of powdered sugar (and the cocoa if the frosting is to be chocolate) into the mixing bowl. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the dry ingredients do not blow everywhere) until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Increase the mixer speed to a medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time.