Chocolate Cupcakes (NSFW bit at the end!)

1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water (or coffee)
1 1/3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt 
1 tsp espresso powder*
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

* a note on espresso powder

I literally baked coffee grounds on a baking sheet and then blended them to make them super fine. Espresso powder basically makes chocolate stuff really good. Plus if you use coffee instead of water at the beginning, you'll get a lovely flavour. Do both if you want! Or one, or the other.


Preheat oven to 375. Butter or spray or line cupcake tins.
In a small bowl, stir boiling water or coffee and cocoa powder until smooth, let cool to room temperature.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, espresso powder and salt.

In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add dry ingredients and beat only until just mixed. Then add cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.

As a side note, this recipe seems to be excessive, like there's too little dry ingredients, then too much, then too little again. But it evens out in the end, and tastes great :)

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 16-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

(Chocolate) Buttercream icing
This is the easiest thing ever, if you are too lazy to make your own icing, you shouldn't be baking. Period.
1/4 cup butter
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup icing sugar
(opt) 1/3 cup cocoa

(opt) Pinch of espresso powder

Mix together. That's it.

You can decorate these cupcakes any way you want! Whee!