Back to School Chocolate Cupcakes

We had some of these to celebrate the first day of school.  Yes, I celebrate the first day and I celebrate the last day.  I celebrate the first day for a few different reasons, one because I want to make school look very exciting, two because what is not to celebrate about getting an education.  Last but not least, I celebrate because I can actually get a few things done without ten million interruptions.  (Don't make me feel guilty for saying that).


CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
Largely adapted from Health Magazine

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup light sour cream*
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350°. Place 15 muffin cup liners in muffin tin. Whisk together first 5 ingredients.  Add chocolate, butter, and cocoa to a large heatproof bowl, and pour 1/2 cup boiling water on top. Let sit 2 minutes, and whisk until smooth. Add sour cream, buttermilk, and eggs, whisking until well-combined. Add dry ingredients to wet.

Pour batter into cupcake liners.  Bake for 20 minutes.  If you put two pans in the oven at the same time, then make sure you switch your pans midway through.  Insert skewer in center to see if it comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool. Frost cakes.

If you make 15 they are 272 calories.  I made 22 muffins- 185/muffin.  The total recipe caloric count is 4080.  So just divide whatever your yield is. 

*My cupcakes were slightly more as I used regular sour cream.

For the frosting- I did them two ways.  One with the extra filling I had made for my nanaimo bars- I just added cream cheese and whipped it.  The other cupcakes I frosted with this recipe (not shown here).

Chocolate Icing
*** this is a real sturdy icing that you can decorate with easily. It has great flavor without being sickeningly sweet.

2 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Dutch Cocoa Powder
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted (I did cheat this time and used Hershey's chocolate syrup- nobody knew the difference- although since it is loaded with high fructose syrup, I probably will not be buying it anymore.)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Cream the butter and cream cheese at room temperature. Temper in the melted chocolate. Sift together the powdered sugar and cocoa and combine with butter mixture at low speed. Add the vanilla and mix until fully combined.