Favorite Fudge Birthday Cupcakes with 7-Minute Icing

These moist, deep-dark chocolate cupcakes are topped with a thick swirl of classic 7-minute frosting, made in a non-traditional way: no 7 minutes of beating in a double boiler on the stovetop required. Read the Bakers' Banter here.

Cake

* Batter for Favorite Fudge Birthday Cake*
* *Want to use your ingredients more efficiently? Reduce the vegetable oil from 3/4 cup to 2/3 cup; and add 2 egg yolks to the batter along with the 4 whole eggs, reserving the 2 whites for the frosting.

Frosting

* 2 large egg whites
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 1/3 cup water
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two cupcake or muffin pans with papers, and spray the papers with non-stick vegetable oil spray, if desired.

2) Prepare the cake batter from our Favorite Fudge Birthday Cake recipe.

3) Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake cups; you'll pour a scant 1/4 cup batter (about 58g) into each cup. A muffin scoop works well here.

4) Bake the cupcakes for about 25 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes in the middle of the pan comes out clean.

5) Remove the cupcakes from the oven. In about 5 minutes, or as soon as you can handle them, remove them from the pan, and place them on a rack to cool.

6) When the cupcakes are cool, make the frosting. Place the 2 egg whites in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat until the egg whites are foamy and thick; they should mound in the bowl, without holding a peak. Set them aside while you prepare the sugar syrup.

7) Combine the sugar, cream of tartar, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently; the sugar should be dissolved. If the sugar hasn't dissolved, cook and stir a bit more, until it has.

8) Begin to beat the egg whites, and immediately pour the boiling sugar syrup into the egg whites in a slow stream, beating all the while. As you beat, the mixture will thicken.

9) Once all the syrup is added, stir in the vanilla, and continue to beat till the frosting is thick and will hold a peak.

10) Spoon the hot frosting atop the cooled cupcakes, swirling it decoratively.

11) Decorate while warm with sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, sparkling sugar, or the decorations of your choice, if desired.

12) Yield: 2 dozen iced cupcakes.

Recipe summary

Hands-on time: 25 mins. to 35 mins.
Baking time: 25 mins. to 25 mins.
Total time: 1 hrs 50 mins. to 2 hrs
Yield: 2 dozen cupcakes

King Arthur Flour Co.
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