Red Devil's Food Cupcakes With Mocha Cocoa Frosting

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 18
• 1/2 cup cocoa or 1/2 cup dutch process cocoa
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/2 cup cocoa, sifted
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• salt, pinch
• 1/3 cup cold strong coffee, about

Recipe

• 1 for cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
• 2 spritz cupcake pans with nonstick baking spray or line with cupcake papers.
• 3 place cocoa in a small bowl.
• 4 add water, slowly stirring, until well blended and smooth.
• 5 set aside until lukewarm.
• 6 in a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt.
• 7 in medium bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy.
• 8 beat in eggs, one at a time.
• 9 add the cooled chocolate mixture all at once, add vanilla and stir well.
• 10 add the flour mixture all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth and patches of disappear.
• 11 do not overmix.
• 12 using a measuring cup, dip out the batter and place in the cupcake pans; the cupcake pans should be about 3/4 full.
• 13 bake for 15 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes clean when poked into the cakes.
• 14 when cooled, frost with mocha frosting (recipe below).
• 15 makes about 18 2 1/2 inch cupcakes.
• 16 for frosting, remove lumps from both sugar and cocoa by placing the measured ingredients into a sieve set over a bowl; push and rub with the back of a spoon or rubber spatula.
• 17 using an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth.
• 18 add the vanilla and salt.
• 19 add the sugar all at once and mix until almost blended.
• 20 beat in as much of the coffee as needed to make a smooth, spreadable frosting.
• 21 makes 1 3/4 cups or enough to frost 18 cupcakes generously.
• 22 tip: if the cupcakes are going into a lunchbox or picnic basket, cut them in half, sandwich the frosting in the middle and wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap.