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Solar System Chocolate Cupcakes
To see how the rest of the Solar System Birthday Party turned out see my post on How-To: Create a Solar System Birthday Party. I’ve included our snacks, decoration ideas, and party favor bags on that post.
I dedicate this post to my sweet birthday boy. He probably never would have guessed in his wildest dreams that mommy would do a blog post about the solar system – his current love. But, here we go…Solar System Birthday Cupcakes.
![IMG_2007-2](https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/4409654948_4b7104e16d_o.jpg)
Logan always likes to ask people what their favorite planet is. Most have never thought about it before and have to think for a bit before answering. I always tell him Earth is my favorite and he always asks why. I love this beautiful planet, especially now that I’m seeing a tiny evidence of the spring we will soon experience.
Though Mars may seem really cool with it’s red color or Jupiter’s size may amaze (Logan tells me that 1,300 Earths can fit inside Jupiter), I think I’ll always be partial to Earth. Even with all the bad, annoying, crappy, unfair, and down right stupid things that happen here, there are so many positive things and people and beauty to make up for it if you keep your eyes open.
Happy 5th birthday, Logan! I’m so glad you are here on Earth with me. I love your cuddles and hugs and the way you say “Mom?…I love you.” I can’t believe you are growing up so fast and already don’t like me to kiss you nearly as much as I want to. I hope you enjoy your Solar System birthday party and it’s just as perfect as you could ever imagine.
p.s. I’m sorry I didn’t include Pluto. I know that you know that Pluto is now a dwarf planet (as you would say – got fired), but I think you would have liked it anyway. I just couldn’t find any good pictures on NASA’s website. Probably because Pluto is about 2.7 billion miles from Earth, but you probably already know that too.
p.p.s. Do you think they have chocolate cupcakes on Saturn? These are downright delicious, so I don’t think I could live on a planet that doesn’t have them.
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Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes with Vanilla Almond Frosting
Dark chocolate cupcakes made with buttermilk and topped with a tasty vanilla almond frosting!
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds only
For the Buttercream:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
- 3-3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 vanilla bean (seeds only)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- food coloring (optional)
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tins with cupcake cups or grease using nonstick cooking spray.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave, in 15 second intervals, making sure to stir in between. Set aside to cool down for a bit. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar for 5 minutes, until it is pale and thick. Add in the butter. Mix until combined.
- Add in the melted chocolate. Now, add in the buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until well incorporated.
- Add the flour mixture in 3 increments and beat until smooth. Divide batter into the cupcake tins. This batter made 30 cupcakes for me.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool.
For the Buttercream:
- Cream butter in electric mixer for 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Slowly add 1 cup sugar and beat until smooth.
- Add milk and mix until combined.
- Add remaining confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and beat until well incorporated.
- Add vanilla seeds, extract, and food coloring, and mix at medium-high speed until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add more cream or sugar as necessary to achieve proper consistency. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.
- Note: You will need 2 batches of frosting for the number of cupcakes. I piped the frosting with a Wilton 32 tip in a disposable decorating bag.
- Then I sprinkled with blue crystal sprinkles. These glow-in-the-dark stars are great for decorating the serving area.
Notes
Note 2: Yes, I realize now that I accidentally flipped Saturn and Jupiter in the picture. I am aware of the correct order of the planets, but I was hurrying to get these done before birthday boy got home from school and made a mistake.
cupcakes adapted from Chocolate Fool. Buttercream adapted from Love and Olive Oil.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1 cupcakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 316Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 243mgCarbohydrates: 62gFiber: 1gSugar: 50gProtein: 3g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Tasty Eats At Home says
Adorable post – and what a lucky boy he is to have a loving mom like you! Great cupcakes.
kudoskookies says
What a lucky little guy he is to have solar system cupcakes for his birthday celebration. I'm sure they're something he's always going to remember. Great job on them too, they look soooo tasty! Have a great party 🙂
marla {family fresh cooking} says
Happy Birthday to Logan! Your mom did such an awesome job with these cupcakes and your solar system birthday theme.I bet they taste as good as they look!Your words are so sweet! My little guy is 3 and I love his cuddles and kisses so much.
Memória says
The frosting recipe sounds perfect!!! The cupcakes look great as well.
Hoosier Homemade says
Very cool! I'd love for you to link up to Cupcake Tuesday this wk. I'm donating to our local Girl Scout troup for every link I have.Thanks for sharing!~Liz
Amy from She Wears Many Hats says
Cute!!! Bet that was fun.
Jessica @ How Sweet says
So cute!!Happy birthday to him! 🙂
Cookin' Canuck says
What an adorable idea! How thrilled your little boy must be. Happy Birthday to him.
Amanda says
Gorgeous!! Those turned out beautifully, and the recipe looks fantastic!
RecipeGirl says
Those turned out darling!
Katie @ goodLife {eats} says
Anonymous – Logan LOVES to talk about the big storm on Jupiter. It is his favorite planet.
Anonymous says
I read a book about the solar system to my preschool class and they kept talking about the "big storm" on Jupiter for weeks. It's so neat to view the world (and the universe!) through young eyes. Happy birthday to your baby! :)~Rachel
Laura says
Those turned out really cute!
Malle says
Your son is so lucky to have you as a mum! And what a wonderful little boy! I really hope he keeps his interest for the Solar System.-astronomy student.
FishMama says
SUPER cute!
Jamie says
Super adorable and great photos! Happy Birthday, Logan!