Two kinds of frosting give this cupcake its mouthwatering two-toned appearance.
(photo by Jenn Harris)

I can say without reservation that cupcakes are my favorite treats to eat.  They taste good, and they make me extremely happy.  There is nothing like a moist cupcake with a healthy helping of creamy frosting piped and swirled to perfection on top.  In recent years retailers have caught on, opening up cupcake boutiques all over Los Angeles.  The number of stores that sell cupcakes in the city is great, but a little overwhelming, even for a cupcake lover like me.
 
I guess you could say I'm a little bit of a cupcake addict.  If I see a bakeshop has cupcakes inside, I'll definitely stop in to buy one or two. I'm not really into trendy cupcakes and I know I'm going to upset some people with my next comment but I HATE Sprinkles cupcakes.  They are consistently dry and, frankly, the frosting is a little too sweet. I understand that they were one of the first "famous" cupcake boutiques in L.A., but now that there are so many to choose from, Sprinkles just doesn't cut it.
 
When I have a cupcake craving I go to one of my four favorite spots: Dots Cupcakes in Pasadena, home to the delectable bite-sized mini cupcake that comes in any one of their specialty flavors like Pina Colada or Lemon Drop; Swirls Cupcake Catering, with their strawberry shortcake cupcake with real strawberries inside; Crumbs Bake Shop and their irresistible caramel apple cupcake with smooth cream cheese frosting and caramel and lastly Susie Cakes who like to put their frosting on the inside.
 
After having my favorite caramel apple cupcake at Crumbs last week I was inspired.  I wanted to make my own specialty cupcake at home but I was craving chocolate: lots of it. I've tried more than a couple cupcake recipes but over the years I've chosen a favorite: the dark chocolate cupcake recipe from the "American Classics" edition of Cooks Illustrated. These chocolate cupcakes are rich, moist and chocolatey enough to leave you with a permanent smile on your face and a lifetime of chocolate cravings fulfilled. I like to ice them with a special blend of chocolate and cream cheese icing of my own concoction.  I take homemade chocolate and cream cheese frosting and mix it in a piping bag to give the cupcakes a fantastically scrumptious black and white swirl.
 
Chocolate Frosting
Courtesy of Michele Adams and Gia Russo on Epicurious.com

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
In a work bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter. Sift the sugar and cocoa powder together and gradually add to the butter, beating well after each addition. Add the cream and vanilla and beat until well blended and fluffy.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

2 8oz blocks of Philadelphia cream cheese softened

1/2 cup of butter softened

1 3/4 cup of confectioner's sugar

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In a bowl cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and the sugar until completely blended.

Chocolate Cupcakes
from Cooks Illustrated, "American Classics 2009"
makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients: 

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) Dutch-processed cocoa

3/4 cup (3 3/4 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 large eggs

3/4 cup (5 1/4 oz) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/2 cup (4 oz) sour cream

Directions:
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard-sized muffin pan (1/2 cup capacity) with baking-cup liners.
Combine butter, chocolate and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and fully combined. Set aside to cool until just warm to touch.
Whisk flour, baking soda and baking powder in small bowl to combine.
Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined; then sift in remaining flour mixture and whisk batter until it is homogenous and thick.
Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.
Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes.
 
Applying the Frosting:
I used a bakery piping bag with a star tip but you can substitute a ziplock bag with one of the bottom corner tips of the bag cut off. Fill one side of the bag with cream cheese frosting and the other side with the chocolate frosting.  Hold the bag over the cupcakes at an angle and start from the outside of the cupcake, piping the frosting in a circular motion going inward until you get to the center of the cupcake. Release the frosting in an upward motion in order to achieve a tip at the top of your frosting center and Voila! Serve these cupcakes at your next party and you'll look like a cupcake master/aficionado/God.