Tar Heel Cupcakes

(From the archives. One of my most famous Flickr photos ever!)

These are my babies. My babycakes. My sweet treats. My mini cupcakes, which I've been dying to make. I've seen Megan and Deb go on and on about their obsession with little food, and I drooled when they did so. I clipped Megan's recipe for tiny pies forever ago, but I haven't gotten around to making them. Yet after Deb's tarts, I knew it was time to use the adorable mini cupcake pan I bought at Michael's. And I knew what I wanted: Devil's Food cupcakes with seven-minute frosting, just like my grandmother always made. (But mine is Carolina Blue, of course!)

I've been obsessively using my All New-All Purpose Joy of Cooking, which I've had for a few years and never cracked open. I just haven't done much cooking in the last few years, but since I've been married it's a whole new ballgame. I did a bit of research beyond what JOC says about baking cupcakes, and I just did what seemed right, based on the baking time the recipe called for. They turned out great! They also turned out super-numerous, but that was okay because Brad (who ate FIVE AT A TIME) had enough to get his fill, and I had plenty to take to work to share, too. I highly recommend this recipe, and try them bite-size. They're MUCH more fun than regular cupcakes!

Devil's Food Cake Cockaigne (10 to 12 servings)
All New-All Purpose Joy of Cooking

*Have all ingredients at room temperature, 68* to 75*F.
*Preheat the oven to 350*.
*Grease and flour one 9-inch tube pan or two 9 x 2 inch
round pans or line the bottoms of the round pans with wax
or parchment paper.

Whisk together:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened nonalkalized cocoa
1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt (I used buttermilk.)

Sift together:
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine:
1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla

1) In a large bowl, beat until creamy, about 30 seconds: 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter .

2) Gradually add and beat on high speed until lightened in color and texture, about 3 to 5 minutes: 1 cup sugar.

3) Beat in 1 at a time: 2 large eggs .

4) Beat in the cocoa mixture. Add the flour mixure in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk mixture in two parts, beating on low speed or stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Scrape the batter into the pans (cupcake liners, 2/3 full). Bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes in round pan (mine took 20 minutes for a 12 mini-cupcake pan), 45 to 55 minutes in a tube pan. Slide a thin knife around the cake to detach it from the pan. Invert the cake and peel off the paper liners, if using. Let cool right side up on the rack.

Seven-Minute Frosting (About 4 cups - I used almost every bit.)
All New-All Purpose Joy of Cooking

*JOC recommends using stainless steel bowl because crockery and glass are so slow to heat that the top of the meringue cools down before it is adequately heated. Also, be sure to rinse the stem of the thermometer in the simmering skillet water between readings to avoid contaminating the egg whites. Have the egg whites at room temperature, 68* to 75*F.

Whisk together:
5 Tablespoons water
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1-1/3 cups sugar
2 large egg whites
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

1) Set the bowl in a wide, deep skillet filled with about 1 inch of simmering water. Make sure the water level is at least as high as the depth of the egg white in the bowl. Beat the egg whites on low speed until the mixture reaches 140* on an instant-read thermometer. Do not stop beating while the bowl is in the skillet. If you cannot hold the thermometer stem in the egg whites while continuing to beat (I couldn't), remove the bowl from the skillet just to read the thermometer, then return the bowl to the skillet. Beat on high speed for exactly 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the skillet and add: 1 tsp. vanilla.

2) Beat on high for 2 to 3 more minutes to cool. Stir in (optional): 1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped nuts or shredded sweetened dried coconut. Use the day it is made.