Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

*NOTE* Please excuse the crappy photography. These were test photos done with my new iphone. If you read my First Post you would know what happened to my actual camera. C-Dub is hiding his camera from me and my obsessive need to photograph the food.

This cupcake recipe comes from my Granny. She's been making it for years and everyone in the family loves it. I wanted to make something nice for my brother's girlfriend for her birthday, so I made these yummy treats and I plan on bringing them to her work tomorrow.

Granny's Chocolate Cupcakes (or cakes)
as instructed by Granny via email

2/3 cup shortening (at room temperature)

1 2/3 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 1/4 cups cake & pastry flour

2/3 cup cocoa

1/4 teasp. baking powder

1 1/4 teasp. baking soda

1 teasp. salt

1 1/3 cups water

1 teasp. vanilla

Cream shortening and sugar together, add eggs and beat well. Add vanilla. Sift together all dry ingredients and add alternately with water to creamed mixture. Bake in 9" layer pans (2) or makes about 20 cup cakes. Bake at 350 deg. - cakes approx 35 mins., cup cakes approx 20 mins. Be sure to oil cake pans well and cover bottom with circle of wax paper. Let cakes cool in pans for several minutes before removing to wire rack.

N.B. I squeeze the batter into 2 8" pans, then when cooled cut each layer throught the middle using either a piece of thread wound around my fingers or a long bread knife. I then put the four layers together with whipped cream made as chocolatey as you want by adding chocolate ice cream sauce to taste. Our favorite birthday cake - there is no talking when we are eating this.

Cream Cheese Frosting
from Cupcake Bakeshop

12 ounces or 1-1/2 packages of Philly cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Bring cheese and butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours
2. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl or onto parchment
3. Beat butter and cheese at medium speed until creamy
4. Add half of the sugar and the vanilla. Beat until combined
5. Gradually add remaining sugar (more if you have to) until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like

NOTE: The frosting naturally has a beige-ish color, and since I was putting it on chocolate cupcakes I wanted it to look as yummy as it tasted. I added a bit of cocoa for color and a bit of taste. I didn't measure so you can go ahead and add as much or as little as you like. I got it to a nice mocha shade and decided it would be a nice contrast to the dark cupcakes.

Chocolate Curls
from The Pioneer Woman

Ree does an excellent job of describing this process so I will not interfere with her genius. Click the link above to visit her site for a great pictorial.

Grab some Crisco and some semi-sweet baking chocolate. (Any brand will do, and you can even use semi-sweet chocolate chips if you’d like!)

Place three ounces (usually three squares) of chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl.

Now place one tablespoon of Crisco (vegetable shortening) into the bowl.

Now throw it in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, or until the shortening is melted and hot.

With a fork, mash up the chocolate to blend with the melted Crisco.

Stir to combine thoroughly.

Now, grab a metal cookie sheet, turn it upside down, and pour the melted chocolate on.

Then, with a flat spatula (or heck, a knife), spread the chocolate in a thin layer…

Keep going until it’s very, very thin. Then…and this is the key…stick it in the freezer for a few minutes.

Be sure to give it the ol’ fingerprint test. And when it’s ready, it should leave the slightest mark, but not an actual depression.

Next, get a somewhat sharp-edged spatula and begin to scrape the chocolate from the bottom of the pan. When the chocolate is just the right temperature, it’ll curl instead of break

Now you have a couple of minutes before the chocolate gets too soft.

So just scrape along the bottom of the pan…

…And the chocolate will curl right up. If it’s too hard, give it a minute, then try again. If it gets too soft, stick it back in the freezer for a minute.

Pretty soon you’ll have a bunch of fun little chocolate curls.

Important: as soon as possible, transfer the curls to a cold pan or plate, then stick them in the freezer to harden. Store in the freezer in a Ziploc bag until you need them. Use them to adorn pies, cakes, or platters of fruit. You’ll feel instantly fancy!