Camp Cupcake: Devil's Food Cupcakes

I'm kind of amazed that it has taken me this long to make this recipe. I like chocolate cake. And I bought this very expensive gourmet baking cocoa at William-Sonoma when I was in Fort Worth last year.

Speaking of chocolate, while making the frosting, I discovered something very important:

Unsweetened chocolate and bittersweet chocolate are NOT the same thing.

In terms of the percentages of cacao, it goes like this: unsweetened chocolate (almost all cacao, no sugar), bittersweet chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, and milk chocolate (almost no cacao, it turns out). I have acquired a taste for dark chocolate as an adult, but there are times when it is a little too rich for me. That said, I should have checked this out before I made the chocolate frosting. I was going for something lighter than the chocolate ganache frosting I usually use, so I made the chocolate sour cream frosting instead, but, because I made it with unsweetened chocolate rather than bittersweet chocolate, it still came out pretty dark. I added several cups of powdered sugar to make it sweeter, but it was still pretty dark and very rich.

This was my attempt to take a better picture of my cupcakes than normal. I used the only natural light that comes into my apartment, which comes from the French doors that open into my bedroom. That's why the cupcakes are sitting on my bed.

It was a perfect recipe to take to Relief Society on Valentine's Day, especially since the lesson touched on, of all things, Satan. Hee hee.

Here is a link to the cake recipe. Here's the frosting:

Chocolate-Sour Cream Frosting (Makes about 8 cups)

1 lb. (4 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/2 c. unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. salt

12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

18 oz. BITTERSWEET chocolate, melted and cooled

1 1/2 c. sour cream

Sift together confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and salt. Beat cream cheese and butter until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add sugar mixture; mix until combined. Mix in melted and cooled chocolate and then sour cream; scrape down sides of bowl and continue beating until smooth. Use immediately, or store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.