I consider cupcakes to be tiny bundles of happiness. Moist centers, yummy frosting and so many different flavors! Even an average cupcake can bring a smile on someone's face. But a good cupcake can bring a lot of joy :) I love cupcakes myself and enjoy making them for my kids also. Recently there was a charity auction where I decided to donate cupcakes and I also wanted to use this opportunity to try a cupcake recipe different from what I had done before. I was looking for the ultimate chocolate cupcakes and I have managed to come up with a recipe that is very close to perfect for me. Perfect in taste, perfect in texture, moist and chocolaty at the same time!

I researched several recipes and found this one to be the closest to what I was looking for. I figured out some common ingredients and techniques which seemed to be key to getting this right. One was to avoid using butter and creaming the butter and sugar together. Cupcakes made with oil turned out to be much more moist and stayed soft for a longer period of time. Also in the Singapore weather, the shelf life of cupcakes goes down significantly if they are stored at room temperature. Oil based cupcakes stay soft even in the refrigerator. Most recipes call for baking soda as well but they do not provide an activator for the baking soda which sometimes leads to a slight aftertaste in the final product. To avoid this, I also added yogurt to the cupcake batter.

The other concern I have with giving cupcakes often to my family is the frosting. The frosting on top of the cupcake can have the same or even more calories than the cupcake itself. For adults it is very easy to rationalize and say that they can stop at one but kids love to have more of these. My way out for this is to use a frosting that is not too rich. Then I can lean forward and allow the kids to have one extra which they prefer also. I used an egg white sugar frosting for this but instead of the standard royal icing recipe, I tried the swiss meringue buttercream recipe - only making sure I omit the butter.

The icing paired beautifully with the moist, deep chocolate flavor of cupcakes. The cooked egg whites also help to address any concerns that some folks may have with consumption of raw egg whites. Also to note that since cocoa powder is the only form of chocolate in this recipe, a good quality product should be used for best results. My kids loved this recipe. Hope you and your family will enjoy also!

Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 cups fine granulated sugar

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup good quality cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup whole milk

1/4 cup low fat yogurt

1/2 cup canola / vegetable or any other flavorless oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 C. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, oil, milk, yogurt and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute or until batter is smooth. If there are any dry ingredients in the bottom of the bowl, use a spatula to combine them.

3. Add boiling water and mix till batter is smooth. Do not overmix.

4. Fill liners 1/2 full with batter. Bake the cupcakes for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

5. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting with any frosting of your choice.