Devil's Food Cupcakes with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Welcome, weekend. I'm so glad you're here. It's Friday and all I wanted to do was come home and cook a yummy dinner and curl up on the couch in warm socks (my feet are often cold this time of year) and cozy pajamas and watch a movie. And I'm doing just that (and fitting in a little time for the blog). Since I've still got two Halloween desserts I made to share, I thought I'd sneak you a late-night treat... fluffy, moist, devil's food cupcakes with tangy chocolate sour cream frosting. They were a hit with me. I think you might like them too.

INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes:
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, room temperature

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

2. Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

4. To make the frosting, in a small bowl melt chocolate and butter together. Let cool before blending in the sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Slowly add the powdered sugar, beating well, until smooth. Refrigerate until rady to use.

5. Use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers.

Makes 36 cupcakes.

(Cupcakes from Martha Stewart via The Kitchen Sink, Frosting adapted from All Recipes)