As you know, Joel and I aren’t chocolate fans but our little man is quite crazy about it. Because of this little fact, I knew he had to have chocolate cupcakes for his birthday party (I also made lemonade ones to fit into the yellow theme and to make us happy).
I decided on these Chocolate Mayo Cupcakes for the big day. Once he saw them he was wildly saying “cucake” over and over again. He has just a bit of a sweet tooth, don’t you think?
Once it was time, we lit candles and sang happy birthday. I wish you all could have seen the look on his face. He seemed very worried and concerned over why 30 people were staring at him and singing. He really was quite freaked out. But then the cupcake was plopped down in front of him and he went into a chocolate daze.
He blew out the candles all on his own then picked up the cupcake, looked at it…
and stuck his face in the frosting.
He tested the frosting for awhile…
then decided to stick the cupcake wrapper on his head as his hat (he has an obsession with hats too).
He never actually tried the cake so I made sure that it didn’t go to waste and it was one of the best chocolate cakes that I have ever eaten. Just because I don’t care for chocolate cake doesn’t mean I don’t eat it…I keep trying it to see if it grows on me. And this cake is more than ok in my book. It was incredibly moist and had a light texture for a chocolate cake, due to the mayo. I know mayo sounds weird but trust me, it’s good!
The frosting was velvety smooth and had a wonderfully rich chocolate flavor without being too much. I had never made a sour cream frosting but I definitely will be whipping it up more often in the future.
When the cake was combined with the chocolate frosting it was a bit too rich for me but I’m sure most would love the double chocolate hit. I personally think the cake would pair wonderfully with Whipped Vanilla Bean Frosting. And the chocolate frosting would be great on a yellow cake to add some intense richness.
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 3/4 cups boiling water
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 1 1/3 cups mayonnaise (do not use reduced-fat or fat-free)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 9.5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 4 tbsp. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- 2/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. sour cream
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 20 muffin cups with liners. Combine chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in medium metal bowl. Add 1 3/4 cups boiling water and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
- Sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder into another medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat both sugars and mayonnaise in large bowl until well blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with chocolate mixture in 3 additions, beating until blended after each addition and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
- Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 15-25 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan for 5 minutes then remove to wire rack.
- To make the frosting, melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Set aside to cool until just barely warm.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Gradually mix in the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Beat in the melted and cooled chocolate and then the sour cream. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Frost cupcakes immediately before the chocolate hardens and the frosting sets.
- *Chocolate frosting recipe: http://www.annies-eats.com/2012/04/04/cupcake-basics-chocolate-frosting/
June 30, 2015 at 7:46 am
sounds yummy and he’s an adorable child
June 30, 2015 at 8:14 pm
Thanks so much Susan!