Chocolate cream cupcakes

For a novice baker like me who is extremely enthusiastic to try out new recipes (partly because of the huge kitchen I am currently blessed with and partly because of the cute aprons and bake ware I get to play around with; and oh, of course, because of my love for cooking!) it was an easy task to have at least fifty tabs open with 'cupcake recipes' by the likes of Paula Deen and Rachel Ray, and experiment with various recipes till I finally found something that yielded the most finger-licking-ly scrumptious batch of cupcakes.

The recipe that follows is a mix of 3-4 recipes I found online. So you may call it the best of all worlds ;)

Yield: The quantity of ingredients mentioned below is sufficient to completely fill a baking pan of 24 mini cupcakes. Attached below is a picture of the pan I used. 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

1/2 cup buttermilk (unsalted)

For the frosting:

1 pack of Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips

Whipped cream (optional)

1 cup fat free milk

Sugar (adjust quantity to suit individual taste)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the baking pan with cupcake liners. 

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and mix in the oil and buttermilk. Sift the dry ingredients and add them to the wet, until the mixture is smooth and well combined (Note: To avoid lumps, mix in the dry ingredients one spoon at a time). 

An electric mixer or beater is not necessary, you can even do this manually but make sure to stir it with quick even strokes. 

Use a small pouring spoon (to avoid spilling the batter onto the tray) and fill the liners up to 2/3rd their capacity. This is essential because the cupcakes will rise when being baked. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, turning the tray once, half way through. Use a toothpick to check whether the cupcakes are done. It should come out completely dry, devoid of any uncooked batter. 

While the cupcakes are baking, start a pan on the stove for the frosting. I started by adding half a cup of the milk and slowly adding the chocolate chips, continually stirring while doing so. Gradually add the remainder of the milk, with about 2 tablespoons of sugar, making sure the mixture isn't losing it's smooth, creamy consistency. Adding whipped cream to the mixture is optional. 

Once the cupcakes are done, let them cool completely before frosting them. The frosting sets once it cools so let the pan cool before you start. 

You can add chopped strawberries for added decoration or use sprinkles as a topping. 

Enjoy!