Birthday Cupcakes

THIS. IS. THE. BEST. CAKE. RECIPE. EVER.!!!!!!! HOLY FREAKING SHIZZLE-FRITZ!!!!!

Did I get the point across strongly enough? ' Cause I'm not joking. The recipe is easy and you probably, with exception of the buttermilk, have all the ingredients on hand. It's supposed to be a layer cake but sous chef Goat wanted cupcakes for her birthday, so cupcakes are what she got!

Chocolate Cake Layers: (Smitten Kitchen / Gourmet Magazine)

3 oz. fine quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
1½ cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1¼ teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
1½ cups well-shaken buttermilk
¾ teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms of 2 10-inch* round cake pans with wax paper and grease paper. Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Marshmallow, or Seven Minute Frosting

2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Combine frosting ingredients with a pinch of salt in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled. Mound frosting on top of cake. Dust with additional cocoa powder.

*I used Scharffen Berger chocolate and cocoa powder. Since the birthday girl wanted cupcakes, I lined my cupcake pans with cupcake papers and filled them three quarters full. Then I baked them at 300°F for 30 minutes. I made 24 cupcakes and still had some leftover batter.

Aren't these strawberries beautiful? I promise spring is coming... do you hear that lexophile and she who? Spring will be here soon. Promise.