Chocolate Chiffon Cupcakes

By now you know I love to create cupcake recipes! And if you happened to miss this fun fact, check out my Orange Blossom, Harvest Pumpkin and Coconut Cream posts. I’ve been working to perfect my Chocolate Chiffon Cupcakes for literally years. And what constitutes the perfect cupcake? Here’s my list:

A nice dome – not too high, not flat
Super moist – even after the cupcakes cool
Great taste – flavors that are unique, rich and intense
No hard top – with a soft and airy crumb
Limited crevices – deep ones usually mean dry cupcake

Each time I altered and tested the recipe the cupcakes still had hard tops, too many deep cracks or weren’t moist enough. Never a fan of giving up, I tried one more time, enlisting the advice of a seasoned baker, named Khara who made a beautiful cake for my friend’s birthday party. Using her helpful hints, I messed around some more with measurements and ingredients. And then it happened…my Chocolate Chiffon Cupcakes were perfect and finally met every single criteria on my list. I hope you like them as much as Bill, my cupcake connoisseur husband and I did!

And go check out Khara’s unique and delicious creations @balsamicbaker on Instagram! She always includes the recipes and having eaten her chocolate cake with raspberry filling, I can attest to how good they are!

Chocolate Chiffon Cupcakes

1¾ cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
1 cup milk
2/3 cup sour cream (full fat)
½ cup butter
¼ cup light olive oil
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs + 1 yolk
1 tsp vanilla

Bring butter, eggs, sour cream and milk to room temperature (about 1 hour). Line cupcake pan with your favorite papers. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl; stir to combine with a wire whisk; set aside. Combine milk and sour cream; set aside.

Cream butter and oil on medium speed of a mixer until combined; add sugar and continue creaming until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolk, one at a time, mixing after each. Add vanilla and mix until combined.

Using a rubber spatula, fold in ½ of the dry ingredients, then fold in ½ of the wet ingredients. Repeat starting with dry, then wet ingredients until just combined, scraping down sides of the bowl. Be careful not to over-mix…this makes the batter dense and tough.

Using an ice-cream scoop, spoon a level amount of batter into the cupcake papers. Bake for 16-18 minutes; makes 24 cupcakes. Frost with Chocolate Chiffon Frosting, serve with milk and enjoy life!

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
½ cup sour cream
4 cups powdered sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
2-3 T milk or cream (to desired consistency)

Cream butter for 3 minutes, add vanilla and mix to combine. Add sour cream and mix until incorporated. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Mixture will be a little thick so add milk or cream (depending on how decadent you want this frosting to be) until desired consistency is reached.

Pipe frosting onto cupcakes with your favorite tip or just frost with a knife. Either way, they will taste great! I added a few milk and white chocolate shavings just for fun.

So grab a cold glass of milk, a Chocolate Chiffon Cupcake and enjoy the sweetness of life!