Chocolate SNOWBALLS: made for the sugar plum fairy.

Chocolate SNOWBALL Cupcakes.

I LOVE cake…especially cupcakes! They require no greasing of the pan, flipping out of the pan or cutting. All you need are cupcake cups, a cupcake pan and the right batter and you’re set. I love making this recipe around the holidays because they just look so darn cute….the deep, rich dark chocolate cupcake, with the soft pink icing, followed by the delicate sprinkle of finely shredded coconut…these are cupcakes that you can imaging the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker eating :)….absolutely beautiful!

My favorite chocolate cake recipe is the one on the back of the Hershey’s Cocoa Powder container….it really does make the “perfect” cake! As for frosting, I don’t like using just all butter and I don’t like frosting that is too sweet, so I add cream cheese and add less sugar than most recipes call for. And of course, red beet juice is my red food coloring of choice.

Chocolate SNOWBALL Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg replacer eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

CAKE directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. In separate bowl, whip egg replacer eggs and then add milk, oil and vanilla. Mix together. Add flour mixture and beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.  Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared cups; fill each cup 2/3 full.
3. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Makes about 30 cupcakes.

VARIATIONS

ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

FROSTING

• 1 sticks butter. at room temperature
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh beet juice
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup unsweetened, finely shredded coconut

FROSTING directions

1. Cream together butter and cream cheese, about 2 minutes. Then add sugar, vanilla, milk and beet juice and whip more. Stir in vanilla. Makes about 2 cups frosting.
2. Spread frosting evenly on all cupcakes and then sprinkle with coconut.