Cupcake Love

Okay, I have a confession that's not directly related to cupcakes. In middle school I was a big Captain & Tennille fan and for some reason when I typed in 'cupcake love' it reminded me of 'Muskrat Love' - if you're too young to remember that "classic", be glad - as it was recently voted one of the worst songs of all time! Nevertheless, once the tune is in your head, it's impossible to remove so now I'm imaging a rewrite that goes something like this:

Cupcake Suzy, Cupcake Sam
Do the jitterbug at a Cupcake Stand
And they're yum-my, Sam is so chummy!

And they whisk and they twirl and they bake them
Munchin' and crunchin' the frosting
Floating like the heavens above
Looks like Cupcake Love . . .

Oh! You're still here? I was afraid the song would send you running to another blog. So back to cupcake love - everyone knows there's a lot of cupcake love out there these days. Cupcakes must be the most tony dessert around. They're popping up all over the blogosphere, cupcake shops are in almost every town, cupcake cookbooks are best sellers, and even Visa uses them in their ads:

For Christmas this year, I hope to make some yummy felted cupcakes, like the red velvet one below:

And very soon I'll be taking a cupcake class where I may learn to make these: (!)

As for the cupcakes we baked yesterday, the recipe is here. (Follow the advice of many reviewers and only fill the cups 2/3! I usually make half a recipe which yields 18 cupcakes.)

The frosting is an old stand-by from The Southern Living Cookbook. It has a wonderful tangy chocolate flavor without tasting like raw powdered sugar - it's great for cakes of all sizes!

Sour Cream-Chocolate Frosting

1 (12-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons milk

Melt chips in top of double boiler (or microwave, if you're diligent and check it often!). Cool.

Combine melted chocolate and sour cream. Add sugar alternately with milk, beating at medium speed of an electric mixer until smooth.

Enjoy and have a cupcake-y day!