For the Chocolate Lover!

Guittard and Ghirardelli Chocolate cupcakes and ganache with cream cheese frosting
These cupcakes are amazing!! SERIOUSLY! They are super moist! The cake itself is not too rich, surprisingly. The ganache dip makes them super chocolatey though, you can obviously skip that if you wanted but I wouldn't recommend it. And the cream cheese frosting is super vanilla-ey and makes them just right. They are to die for! In fact my husband just popped FIVE in his mouth in one sitting! The cupcake recipe is a Magnolia Bakery recipe and I just changed it a bit.

• CUPCAKES:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 7 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted (see Note)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped Guittard milk chocolate

Note: To melt the chocolate, place in a double boiler over simmering water on low heat for approximately 5–10 minutes. Stir occasionally until completely smooth and no pieces of chocolate remain. Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm 5–10 minutes. And I actually used 4 ounces unsweetened and 3 ounces semi-sweet both ghirardelli.

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. Set aside.
3.In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
4.In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
5.Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Ganache:
• 1 cup chocolate (I used about 3 ounces Ghirardelli bittersweet and the rest Guittard milk chocolate)
• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
In a double broiler melt the chocolate and butter together then wait about 10 minutes to cool. Dip tops of cupcakes in the ganache and let sit until hardened a bit before topping with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar
Beat butter until smooth, add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add vanilla. Slowly add powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Enjoy!