Cookieventure # 2: Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

As previously mentioned, this weekend is all about requests. Thus, we're keeping the Cookie Book in the shelf for now and make use of another cookbook gift from my brother (which inspired this diary, actually). I know! He loves me too much that he buys these cool books for me. Or he maybe he just loves to eat, and wants me to make them for him. Haha. Whichever it is, I'm just grateful for it.

The Cupcake Diaries
by Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontage

First stop on our to do list for this weekend are the Chocolate Cupcakes that my best friend had requested. Well, she's a thousand miles away, but she wanted to make sure she sends her boyfriend some sweetness for his birthday, and thus the sweet treats. :)

Shall we get started then?

The ingredients are simply basic... We have the flour, butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, eggs, vanilla extract, milk and, of course, cocoa.

Following the instructions, I first sifted the flour with the baking soda and salt. Then, set it aside.

Sift sift sift

Then I creamed the butter and sugar.

Buttery sweetness

After setting those two aside, I combined the milk and vanilla in a cup.

Then, while the mixer is on slow, I put in 1/3 of the dry ingredients and 1/3 of the milk and vanilla. Let the mixer do its work, then slowly put in another 1/3 of each dry and wet ingredients. Another moment for the mixer to do its work, then it is time to put in the final 1/3 of the dry and wet ingredients.

Let it mix until well combined, then slowly put in the cocoa powder.

Gooey mixture

Now its time to line those trays with those colorful cups - well, in our case it is just metallic blue. :D

Ready!

Make sure to fill 2/3 of the cup to make the cupcake rise up to the edge when being baked.

They look interesting, right?!

After about 15 - 20 minutes, the cupcakes are now baked! :)

Smells good I tell you

I let them cool on the side while I proceed with the frosting.

For this particular cupcake, I chose to make buttercream frosting. Although, I was really anxious on how to make them as I have never used buttercream before. So, here goes my experiment.

Ingredients for the frosting are simply basic as well... There are the confectioner's sugar, butter, milk, vanilla and salt. And making them seemed quite easy in the book. I just had to combine all of them and let the mixer do the work, literally.

Wrong to use whisk this time. Booo! :(

But! Here's my first booboo in this cookieventure.

To my surprise, the buttercream seemed too hard to work with and a bit crumbly. I tried putting them in a piping bag, but it was not flowy enough to go through the pipe. :((( I realized it might due to the whisk that I used - do let me know.

Anyways, I knew I needed to make a new batch, but with less time (the cupcakes will be picked up today), I needed to think! And voila. Thank God for the brain cells that gave me this cool idea! I just used an ice cream scooper and scooped them on top of each cupcake. It looked like vanilla ice cream on top of cupcakes. How cool and appropriate is that for a birthday cupcake?! :)))

Cupcakes with Ice Cream

I just wished I had sprinkles on hand so they could be colorful, but there's always next time.

And they're about to be picked up! :)
Happy Birthday letters on the side

So there you have it folks. Birthday Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting (Vanilla Ice Cream).