Now when I’m looking for a good chocolate cake recipe, I trust the authority on chocolate.  So when I saw a recipe from Hershey, I knew I should look no further.  I mean, come on, who knows chocolate better than Hershey?!  And they didn’t disappoint – super chocolatey but not too rich.  Topped with a classic cream cheese icing (which I’m pretty sure I’m mentioned 100 times, is my FAVORITE icing on anything), these little guys were rather tasty.  Out of the two dozen baked, we only had 5 leftover cupcakes.  Mission accomplished!

Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate cake
courtesy of Hershey’s, as seen on Sing for Your Supper2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
1 batch cream cheese frosting (see below)

Preheat oven to 350.  Line 2 muffin pans with paper liners.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Stir in boiling water (batter will be very thin).

Scoop batter into cupcake liners, no more than 2/3 full (I over-filled some of mine, oops!).  Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. 

Cream cheese frosting
8oz cream cheese, at room temp
1 stick of butter, at room temp
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter together at medium-high speed for about 3 minutes.  Add vanilla, beat to combine.  Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time on low speed until incorporated.  Spread on cooled cupcakes.

Using black royal icing, pipe circles of black icing around cupcakes, like this (please excuse the terribly lighting, it was dark outside!):