There are many cupcake flavors out there, but when it comes to me and sis our favorite is always good old yellow with chocolate frosting. They weren't made this week, the week of the 100-degree high in Boston, but earlier when sis visited and requested them. I've tried
a similar combination before, but I was looking for a better buttercream recipe. This is it. The one I tried last year involved a sugar syrup, but syrups and caramels are just not my friends. This one's easier and just as freakin' good.
Making the cupcakes was straightforward and simple, except I halved the recipe and even then only had nine paper liners. So I sprayed the unlined wells with cooking spray, but don't follow my example. The cupcakes still stuck to the pan and browned faster. There was still a bit of batter left so I dug out two silicone baking cups, only to remember why I don't like baking with silicone. The cake always breaks or sticks to the sides when you unmold it. Paper is just the way to go. Afterward, I started the buttercream, cooking the egg whites and sugar a bit to dissolve the graininess, then beating the mixture into a soft meringue.
The mixture is transformed into buttercream when you add the softened butter, and then flavored with melted chocolate. We piped, then kicked back with a cupcake (or two). Sis thought it looked like a lot of work, but you've got to put in a little love if you're not using Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines, right?
