The Perfect Cupcake & A Princess Debate

It was my Dad's birthday this week so I went to work looking for a recipe that would make him feel loved on his b-day! I came across a recipe for Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing. Even typing it causes me to drool! To make a long story short, the cupcakes and icing turned out perfectly and the birthday boy was happy as were his guests. The icing really was to die for but the cupcakes weren't totally what I had hoped for. Maybe because of the bittersweet chocolate. I mean, they were dark! I should have figured! If you like that, then this is the recipe for you! But I went on the search again for a different chocolate cupcake recipe that would meet my fancy. I found one at Joy of Baking and because we had friends coming over I thought I'd give it a whirl and use up the leftover icing I had. Once the batter was made, I was very afraid for my cupcakes...it was REALLY liquidy. But I thought, why stop now? So I scooped the runny batter into the muffin tins, pretty sure that this recipe would be a fail. 18 minutes later, I was pleasantly surprised! These cupcakes were DELICIOUS! They were everything I ever wanted in a chocolate cupcake! They were moist but dense. They tasted truly and perfectly chocolately and with the peanut butter buttercream on top, they were pure bliss! They were a little undercooked which I personally like but if you don't, cook them for the full 20 minutes. Also, fill the tins nearly to the top since they don't rise very much but they do leave a nice flat service condusive to icing!

Batch #1

In other happenings, Piper and I had a riveting debate this morning over breakfast about what princesses wear to bed. She claims they wear their pretty dresses because if they don't have their princess dress on they are no longer a princess. I told her that just wasn't true. Everybody, EVEN PRINCESSES, wear pajamas to bed! But Piper would hear none of it, no matter how hard I tried to reason with her...a princess dress would be uncomfortable to sleep in, their dresses cost so much that they wouldn't want to ruin them by sleeping in them, wearing a princess dress does not make you a princess - its all about who your Daddy is (or who you marry!)...Regardless of all this, Pipe held firm to her conviction about a princess's bedtime attire and I have a feeling one of these nights I'm going to find a little princess in her bed with a princess dress on! :)

Ok, so maybe she does have a point!