A Homemade Life: Chocolate Cupcakes with Bittersweet Glaze

 Tuesday is my birthday.  At this point, it's not quite clear how we'll be celebrating - so much depends on how things progress with the pregnancy.  At this point, we are more than ready for the baby, I've prepared so much in advance.  Our freezer is stocked with meals and snacks.  The fridge is loaded with soups.  Kind of a weird choice, but the freezer was already full.  And in the hopes that I will have my hands full next week, I leave you with my birthday cake in advance.

This isn't actually my birthday cake.  It's not even actually a cake.  Which you probably have figured out by now.  But my birthday celebration is the perfect time to share Wizenberg's cupcake recipe.  Because everyone needs a little celebrating in their life.  I actually made these for "Teacher Appreciation Day" at Thatkid's preschool.  Because those women definitely deserve appreciation.  And chocolate.

As someone who thinks frosting is the best part of the cupcake, I wasn't prepared to enjoy these as much as I did.  Thatboy said the glaze reminded him of the top of a Hostess Cupcake (which is not a selling point for me, but to each their own).  I appreciated the simplicity of these cupcakes.  Nothing fancy, nothing over the top.  The "frosting" is simply melted chocolate.  And the cake itself is a very basic chocolate cake recipe.  Sure it has hot coffee in it, but coffee isn't such a strange addition to chocolate cake.  It always helps to bring out the depth of the chocolate.  And I also feel it tempers the cake from being cloyingly sweet.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Bittersweet Glaze (From A Homemade Life)

1 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 cup hot brewed coffee

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1.  Preheat oven to 300.  Line a muffin tin with paper liners.  Put the semisweet chocolate in a medium bowl with the hot coffee.  Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and opaque.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. Beat the egg on medium speed in a stand mixture about 1 minute. 
4. Add the oil, yogurt, and vanilla, beating well.
5. Pour in the melted chocolate mixture and beat to thoroughly combine.
6. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low until the batter is just combined.  Spoon the batter into the muffin tin.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack adn cook for 20 minutes before removing the cupcakes.
7. Once the cupcakes are cool, melt the bittersweet chocolate in a metal or glass bowl over a pan of gently simmering water until chocolate is completely smooth.  
8. Spoon a heaping teaspoonful of chocolate on top of each cupcake, tilting and rotating the cupcake to get the chocolate all the way to the edges.