Hello friends!

Do you ever have one of those days where things just go your way? Aren’t they awesome? We should really petition the universe for more of these days…

Mine happened last week – a number of absolutely amazing things happened for On Sugar Mountain that left me tickled pink.

First, I had my first photo accepted to Taste Spotting! (faints). This brought oodles of pageviews to the blog and some new subscribers. Hello there new subscribers!

Second, Hershey’s Kisses (yes, the deliciousness that is Hershey’s Chocolate) shared my Salted Caramel Kiss Cookies on their Facebook Page! WOO! This also brought new subscribers and quite a few new Facebook “Likers”.

So Hello to all my new followers! I’m so happy to see you all decided to take the plunge into sweetness with me.

Finally, I stumbled upon the best chocolate cupcakes known to man. Not only are they delicious, but they are oh so easy to whip up. You could make these for really any old reason, but I believe there may be a certain heart-filled holiday coming up in our near future? That calls for tons of decadent chocolate?

You know the one.

But even if you aren’t as excited for hearts upon hearts and thing for Valentine’s Day, you could still absolutely positively enjoy these cupcakes. They are to die for and all come together, ready for this, in one bowl.

Let’s work on making #onebowlwonderful a thing on twitter. I have faith in us. We are smart cookies

These cupcakes added to my wonderful week/weekend, because they were so photogenic. They loved the camera, and the camera (followed by my tummy) loved them. I’d say almost too cute to eat, but really, is that ever a thing?

No. Never.

I also tried my luck with a new piping technique. I always go for the classic upward swirl, which is totally fine, but on Cookies and Cups, where this amazing recipe originates from, Shelly demonstrated how to start in the center of the cupcake and pipe outwards. Hmmm…sounds intriguing…

And you know what? It’s not only a million times easier than the upwards spiral, it looks adorable!

Seriously. Next time you make cupcakes, try it out. Start in the center of your cupcake with a star tip for your piping bag, and just move outwards in a circular motion. It’s that simple yet looks like you are a cupcake pro.

So a mighty thanks to all of you, new followers and old, who helped me have such a lovely end of the week and weekend. It means so much to receive such positive reinforcement from all of you, and I plan to keep the sweetness going strong in 2013!

Happy Baking!

Jess

Chocolate Lovers’ Cupcakes

Via Cookies & Cups

3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups cocoa powder
1 tbsp baking soda
1 1/2  tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (don’t have it? Add 1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar to a measuring cup, and add enough milk to hit 1 1/2 cups – in 5 minutes voila! instant buttermilk)

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake pan with liners. In a large bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then whisk in sugar.

2. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat on low. Slowly beat in vanilla, water, vegetable oil, and buttermilk.

3. Mix/beat for an additional minute to ensure smooth consistency

4. Fill liners 2/3 full with cupcake batter and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

5. Carefully remove cupcakes from pan and let cool on wire rack. While cooling, make frosting.

Chocolate Frosting:

1 cup butter, room temp.
8 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup boiling water
2 tsp vanilla

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixer and beat until well incorporated. Beat for an additional 30-60 seconds until fluffy, then let cool for 10-15 minutes before frosting cupcakes.

All Photos And Writing Copyright © 2013 Jessica Gonzalez | On Sugar Mountain