Deep Dark Chocolate Cupcakes {Rebake} w/Whipped Mascarpone Frosting (★ ★ ★ ★ ☆)

Some things are just not meant to be brought back.

Like...
Dinner, Circa 1950.

Sure, it was the golden age of domesticity, but what the heck were those housewives making?!

Vegetable and meat jello?

I'll be taking a rain check, thank you.
Stick me in a cryogenic freezer and ship me back to the land of deep fried oreos!

Or...
Village People's Y.M.C.A.

I know it's your wedding, but please, let's keep this macho-cheeseball of a song where it belongs. 
In 1978.

And...

Overalls!

Guys, overalls are coming back!  They're coming back???????!

This. is. a. travesty.

Of course, I'm guilty of wearing a pair or two everyday in the 90's.

But I was a kid!

I didn't know any better.

What I thought was the perfect solution to hiding my awkward teenage body was actually a fashion conspiracy to keep me looking like a large, lumpy sack of denim.

Why?

Because Junior High is about pain, people.



The truth of the matter is:
Everything comes around.

Everything.

Whether it looks exactly like it did before, is not the question.
The fact is...it's back.

Thankfully, for every terrible idea there is an equally wonderful one begging to be rediscovered.

Like jean jackets,

All forms of hair braids,

even "Sexy."


Oh, and these cupcakes.



I made these way back in the dark ages of this blog when I had no idea what I was doing.

I still don't really know what I'm doing, but at least now I'm organized about it.

Progress, people!

But even then, when everything was a complete mess, I still stumbled upon an amazing chocolate cake recipe.

We're talking I'm lookin' no further.  I'm plantin' my roots.  And unless someone asks me to try out their recipe because they guarantee that it is better, this is the chocolate cake I will be serving from here to kingdom come.

It's my chocolate cake "go-to."

The only problem was I hadn't made it since then.

That's the food blogger dilemma.  You find something amazing, but you can't ever make it again because you are supposed to be making "new" recipes, trying "new" things.

Well, you know what?

I'm breaking the rules.

Because this cake is too good to be forgotten.

...and mascarpone cheese is so absolutely divine, I needed it again too.

But in true blogger fashion, I've tweaked it.  (Don't shut me down, Google!)

Today, it's whipped!

See?  I'm still fit to be in the kitchen.

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I can't really explain this cake to you, other than it has the perfect balance of moist and denseness.
It's not too heavy, not too dry.  It's amazing.

Also, this frosting is very "whipped creamy."  Light and fluffy.  If you want something more solid, cut the cream in half.  Next time, I am going to do this.
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Deep Dark Chocolate Cake
copied from A Bloggable Life

• 2 Cups of Sugar
• 1 3/4 Cups of Flour
• 3/4 Cup of Cocoa (Hershey's Special Dark, if you want this coloring)
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 Cup Boiling Water

Whipped Vanilla Mascarpone Frosting
adapted from Martha Stewart

• 8oz Mascarpone Cheese, Room Temperature
• 1 tsp Vanilla Paste (or Extract)
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar (more or less to taste)
• 2 Cups of Heavy Cream
• Stabilizer: Unflavored Gelatin/Cornstarch (I did not do this and my frosting did not hold for longer than 30 minutes)

Makes 24 Frosted Cupcakes
Preheat Oven to 375F Degrees then lower to 350F Degrees
Bake for 15-20 minutes
Needed Muffin Tin & Cupcake Liners



Cupcakes:

1) In a large bowl, add sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir until combined.

2) Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.  Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. 

3) Mix in boiling water until combined.  Batter will be very thin and runny.  (See bottom righthand

    picture.  The batter doesn't even stick to the beaters).

4) Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.
5) Carefully pour batter into cups about 3/4 full.  I used a measuring cup to do this since the batter
    was so runny and I still managed to make a mess. 
6) Place pan into 375F Degree oven.  After 7 minutes lower oven temperature to 350F for the
    remaining 8-13 minutes.  Cupcakes are done when toothpick inserted into the center comes out
    clean.
7) Allow cupcakes to cool completely in the muffin tin before removing.

Frosting:
1) Place a medium sized bowl in the freezer to chill.
2) In another bowl, mix mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla until well combined.

3) Take bowl out of the freezer and beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. This will take a few
    minutes so be patient (make sure you start with clean beaters for this!) {Here is where you would
    add your stabilizer...otherwise use immediately}
4) Fold cheese mixture into whipped cream.  I found this very difficult and ended up mixing with the
    beater very carefully and quickly.  Keep chilled.
5) Frost cupcakes and enjoy!

Blog police, you'll never get my pearls!

Blueberry Cupcakes w/ Lemon Mascarpone Frosting (★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆)

This past week we were privy to the ultimate in Hollywood glamour, sophistication, and artistry.

Or at least, that's what we're promised...and crossing our fingers for.

But whether or not the Avengers received one too many nominations or Seth MacFarlane has a beyond amazing voice and a dirty mouth, I love taking part in this night reserved for the film elite.

The Academy.

The Awards.

The Oscars.

Every year we have a little party.

I say "little" because there's less than ten people.

But trust me, we do not take this day lightly.

There's food.  Trivia.

And my favorite.
Voting.

Each person gets a ballot and casts their vote for the winners.  Whoever predicts the most correctly is bestowed a prize.

Last year it was a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints.  A small token to some, but, man, did it feeeeeeel good!

Every year, the competition gets more intense.
By now, we've all added "pre-Oscar research" to our list of things to do before the big day.
Weighing five opinions per category is totally reasonable, right? 

But the best part of this years show -- we'll go ahead and leave Seth MacFarlane, in a suit (weakness #1), singing in the vein of Ol' Blue Eyes (weakness #2), out the equation -- the best was this dress and Jennifer Lawrence.

All of her.

She's a Hollywood experiment.

Like somebody thought it would be a hoot to throw in a completely normal, exceedingly awkward, yet surprisingly talented girl into the mess that is fame, fortune, and Jack Nicholson.

I mean, how totally relatable is she?!?  Am I right?

No other actress I know of is so starstruck by every celebrity she meets, freely brings up her "hyperactive" bladder, and spews any off-the-wall comment that comes into her pretty little head.

So when she tripped on that first stair on her way to accept her award, I just chuckled to myself, "Oh. That's so Jenn!"

Like we're buddies or something.
Only, we're not.
But we totally could be!

So to celebrate this great achievement of hers (and those of many others), I made these cupcakes.

Because nothing says "Wow, you were outstanding in that movie!  When you cried, there was snot -- and in that moment, you were unattractive.  Clearly your dedication was above all else this year" like a rustic looking blueberry and lemon mascarpone cupcake. 

So maybe I won't be winning "Best Train of Thought" or "Best Appropriately Themed Cupcake."

But that's okay.  Because everyone loved them.

The cupcakes were so dense and moist.

And the frosting was the perfect blend of cream, lemon, and sweetness.

Perfect enough to help hide the fact that I forgot half of the sugar in the cupcakes when I doubled the recipe.  

Twice. the. amount. means. twice. the. sugar.

Classic Nat!

Blueberry Cupcakes
adapted from Sallys Baking Addiction

• 3 Cups Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 1 Cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, melted
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 1/2 Cup Milk
• 4 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Package of Freeze Dried Blueberries (1.2 oz or 1/4 Cup Ground)

Lemon Mascarpone Frosting
adapted from Week of Menus

• 4 Tbsp (1/2 Stick) of Butter, softened
• 8oz Mascarpone Cheese
• 2 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar 
• Zest of 1 Lemon
• (Optional) Additional Lemon Juice to Taste

Makes Approx. 24 Cupcakes
Preheat Oven to 350F

1) In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix and set aside.

2) In a large microwave safe bowl, melt the butter.  Heat in 30 second increments.

    Note: If you don't have unsalted butter, that's okay.  Just omit the added teaspoon of salt listed in 

              the recipe. 

3) Add sugar to the melted butter and stir until sugar starts to dissolve.  The mixture will still be very 

    grainy.  Place bowl in refrigerator for 1 minute. 

4) Take butter/sugar bowl out of the fridge and add the remaining wet ingredients one at a time, beating 

     in between each addition - eggs, yogurt, milk, and vanilla.

5) Add the dry ingredients to the batter in small increments until well combined.
6) In a food processor (or coffee grinder) grind the freeze dried blueberries until almost a fine powder.

7) Add ground blueberries to batter and beat/stir well.

8) Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and fill each to about 3/4 full.  

9) Bake at 350F for approx. 20 minutes or until a toothpick, inserted into the center, comes out clean.  

    Allow these to cool completely before frosting. 

10) For Frosting: Beat together softened butter and mascarpone cheese.  Mixture should be fluffy.

11) Add lemon zest and sugar, one cup at a time.  For stiffer frosting, add more sugar.  

If Jenn gets to win, then why can't I?

Clearly I'm not above self promotion, people.

*Special thanks to my sister for being obnoxiously photo happy, yet very helpful in snapping away at me baking this week.  One less day to have to worry about getting flour and butter caked into my lens.