Snowflake Cupcakes

This week I attended a holiday party and of course I brought dessert. I made snowflake cupcakes using a simple devils food cake recipe and vanilla buttercream.  I was making these whem Mr. Apron needed his cookie swap cookies which is why he was on his own (with close supervision) for making his cookies.  (Holiday parties always seem to fall on the same day!)

I had seen snowflake cupcakes last year on one of my favorite blogs Glorious Treats and I had bookmarked them to keep in mind for this year.  I thought that they were so pretty and surprising change from all the red and green.  These are such an easy cupcake to make.  You can use any type of cupcake you want and just about any flavor icing.  I used vanilla so that I could add some pretty blue coloring to make the snowflakes standout.  You could even mix it up by adding more pastal colors, such as doing half light blue and half light pink. 

If you want to make your own snowflakes, Glorious Treats has a great tutorial.  I happen to see pre-made snowflakes in the store I grabbed them to save myself sometime.   

After using the same devil's food recipe for a while, I decided to mix it up for these cupcakes and I am glad I did!   I think the addition of sourcream  made these cakes supermoist and gave it a great flavor. These cupcakes also have coffee which gave the flavor so much more depth.  I will be sticking with this devil food recipe for a while.  

Devils Food Cupcakes

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup hot brewed coffee

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 16 muffin cups with liners.  Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot, not simmering, water. Remove the pan from the heat.   Sift the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the hot coffee, sour cream, and vegetable oil. Gradually whisk in the eggs, then stir in the chocolate. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until all the ingredients are smoothly blended.  Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Source: Epicurious

Vanilla Buttercream

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6  cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar.