Spectacular Cupcakes 2008 - "B-Cup" Cakes

I originally created the "B-Cup Cakes" in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month this fall but am delighted to show them off again for the Spectacular Cupcakes 2008 event hosted by Arfi at HomeMadeS.

Given the name of this event and the theme of my cupcakes, it seems only fitting to quote one of the great Seinfeld episodes here -- "They're real. And they're SPECTACULAR." (If you have not seen this episode, you can watch a clip of it on YouTube by clicking here.)

When I first started baking, I'd hoped to make them "DD-Cup" Cakes but my muffin tins are just not big enough to support a more "full-figured' cupcake so I had to settle for B-Cup Cakes.

Although I made the batter chocolate (since I would not waste my time eating any other kind of cupcake), I made three kinds of buttercream icing to represent a diversity of boobies. I figured that since breast cancer does not discriminate, neither should I. The basic skin tones were easy - chocolate for our darker sisters, espresso for our coffee-colored sisters, and vanilla bean for all us pasty white sisters. The subtler colors for the aureolas were a bit more challenging but I managed to create them by mixing the three flavors of icing.

Of course, we know that beauty is only skin-deep, but the "B-Cup" Cakes have good looks and good taste!

The recipe and directions are below (I used a Cooks Illustrated recipe). I used a basic buttercream icing as mentioned above but you can pair this recipe with any icing you fancy. Hope you enjoy these beauties!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
Yields 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

* 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
* 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
* 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
* 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 2 large eggs
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon table salt
* 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position;heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard-sized muffin pan (cups have 1/2 cup capacity) with baking cup liners.

2. Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and fully combined. Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

3. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

4. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogeneous and thick.

5. Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean.

6. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes. (To frost: Mound about 2 tablespoons icing on center of each cupcake. Using icing spatula or butter knife, spread icing to edge of cupcake, leaving slight mound in center.)

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