Recipe: Classic Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

The classic flavors of light and fluffy yellow cupcakes and rich chocolate icing is one of my favorite treats. To me, nothing is better than the fluffy deliciousness of homemade cupcakes. This recipe is a true bakery style yellow cupcake with thick and creamy chocolate buttercream frosting made from milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Making cupcakes is a great way to get young kids involved in the kitchen! My little ones love the cook and bake in "their kitchen" while I am in the kitchen. Making cupcakes lends itself to kid-friendly jobs such as lining the muffin tins and icing a few cooled cupcakes! So move over Betty Crocker, grab your little ones and have fun with this classic sweet treat recipe!

Mini-Mommy in the kitchen!

Classic Yellow Cupcakes

 Ingredients (makes about 2 dozen cupcakes)

•  2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1-3/4 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1- 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/4 cups of milk 

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs (one a time). Then add the vanilla extract.
3. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl (flour, baking powder, and salt).
4. Add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition.

   

   Lining the cupcake pans is a great way to involve young children!

5. Line muffin pans with paper muffin cups. Fill the cups 3/4 full. Bake 15-20 minutes (Use the toothpick method to make sure your cupcakes are fully baked). Cool 10 minutes and then carefully remove cupcakes to cool on a wire rack. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting!

   

   Baked to perfection!

Milk Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups of milk chocolate chips
• 3/4 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 cups of powder (confectioners sugar), sifted
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) 
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

  

  Creamy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting made with Milk Chocolate & Semi-Sweet Chocolate.

Directions

1. Melt the milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips using a double boiler or melt at 50% power in a microwave safe bowl until soft (about 2 mins., stirring at 1 min.)
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter, milk and vanilla extract. Add the melted chocolate and mix until smooth and creamy. Divide the icing evenly among cooled cupcakes and swirl with an off-set spatula.