Sasha's Kitchen: Vanilla-Dark Chocolate Cupcakes and Dr Seuss Cupcakes

More cute cupcakes? But of course! A couple of weeks ago, I visited Brooklyn's Mast Brothers Chocolate factory and tasting room where they make delicious, vegan bean to bar craft dark chocolate.  I bought some dark chocolate chips (really pellets) for use in making vanilla dark chocolate chip cupcakes because I liked the chocolate there so much. You can read my post about my visit and tour of Mast Brothers here.

At any rate, I was initially intending on making a series of Dr Seuss cupcakes with these but my vision on creating the designs I wanted wasn't well thought out enough. I am sure I will get back to doing that series one of these days soon. I did do one Cat In The Hat cupcake design which is featured below, before simply making some pretty and delicious teal cupcakes with the vanilla and dark chocolate flavors. I still plan on doing Thing One and Thing Two and a better cat in the hat, as well as green eggs and ham for a future cupcake series that is all-Seuss.

Sasha's Vanilla Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour plus 1 tsp
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 stick butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
2/3 of a cup Mast Brothers' chocolate chips, chopped in a nut chopper

Frosting
1 1/2 stick of butter
4 oz lowfat cream cheese
1 small box (about four cups) confectioner's sugar
drop of teal colored gel food coloring
Fondant and red gel food coloring (if you wish to make Dr Seuss hats)

To make the cupcakes, beat together the butter and sugar for about 3 minutes at high speed in a stand mixer until smooth. Then, beat in the eggs, one by one, followed by the vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients (minus the extra teaspoon of flour) in a bowl and then add the dry ingredients to the mixer, alternating with the mix, and mix until combined and smooth. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full (this makes about 15-16 cupcakes). Chop the chocolate in a nut chopper and mix with the tsp of flour to coat. The flour keeps them suspended and from all sinking to the bottom of the cupcakes. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean (the cupcakes should not brown or the bottoms will be burnt).

Beat the ingredients for the frosting in a stand mixer until smooth. Add a drop of teal food coloring and beat until combined and fluffy. Pipe with a frosting bag.

Sasha's Kitchen: Vanilla-Dark Chocolate Cupcakes and Dr Seuss Cupcakes