Heavenly Chocolate Cupcakes

The quest for the perfect cupcake.  Am I the only person on this journey?  Judging by the amount of cupcake TV shows, home decor, Christmas decorations, and pins on Pinterest, I clearly am not.  For me the perfect chocolate cupcake has to be moist, fluffy, and most of all, super chocolaty!  But let's face it, at 9pm after a long day of chasing Roman, I'll eat almost anything that looks like chocolate and is in the shape of a cupcake.

After years of searching through cook books, family recipes, and the Internet, I have finally found the holy grail of chocolate cupcake recipes!  Originally posted on My Baking Addiction, this recipe will be one you keep on hand for years to come.  The original recipe is for a Rolo cupcake (which I have also made and it is amazing!), but this adaptation is also to die for!

I normally steer clear of boxed cake mixes because they often have very little taste other than being overly sweet.  However, the addition of the chocolate pudding mix and sour cream not only keeps the sweetness in check but it elevates the regular box mix to a whole different, deliciously chocolate, level.

Chocolate Cupcakes
1 box Devil's food cake mix
1 (5.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream *See Note*
1 cup oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
1t vanilla

*NOTE* - You could substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream.  The yogurt has the same zing that the sour cream does but it will reduce the calories and add some protein to the cupcakes.  Not that anyone is really concerned about calories or protein when they start to devour cupcakes.

Dump all ingredients into a bowl and mix until smooth.  (I LOVE when all I have to do is dump it all in and mix!!)  **DO NOT skip this step....lick the beater!!!  I know, I know, your not supposed to eat raw eggs.  Don't act like you don't do it anyway!

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. *TIP - to ensure you have the same amount of batter in each muffin cup, use a measuring cup to fill them. **Another important step you DO NOT want to skip.....lick the measuring cup/spoon!

Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool completely before icing them.  If you try to ice them before they are cool, your icing will melt and run off the cupcake (and that would be a horrible tragedy).  I suggest a thick layer of delicious buttercream icing!  . 

Now don't these cupcakes look amazing!!!  I'm actually getting excited about them while I'm typing this blog post....and I kinda wish I hadn't given away the left over ones from the party....sigh.  I love how the tops crack to reveal the decadent deep chocolate color that is waiting for you inside.  The cupcakes will be extremely springing to the touch and will keep this texture after they cool.  To save time I baked my cupcakes 1 week ahead of time and frozen them.  The freezing did not change their texture at all.

I have tried a lot of different cupcake recipes in my time, and John immediately decided these were the best yet, and they didn't even have icing on them yet.  If that wasn't confirmation enough, my brother, who isn't really big on sweets, obliterated 5 of these babies and then took 9 home with him.  He claims they were for friends he was having over that night, but I'm not so sure....