Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375, then turn it down to 350 just prior to baking.

Beat the butter with an electric mixer until it is soft, then add sugar. Beat about 3 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time beating until they are well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and whisk them to incorporate them.

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar and beach it just to combine. Add 1/2 of the liquids (milk and vanilla), scrape down bowl and beat to combine. Continue adding the dry and wet ingredients alternately making sure you END WITH THE DRY.

Fill muffin tins 1/2 of the way and bake for about 20 minutes.

Allow to cool, then frost.

yields: 12-14 cupcakes

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup milk (plus a few tbsp to adjust consistency)
1 tsp vanilla

Beat butter and cocoa until smooth, then add sugar 1 cup at a time, beating with each addition. Add milk and vanilla and beat for about 3 minutes