hey, cupcake

it was this little one's birthday party on saturday.
i can't believe it has been a year already!

(great party-super mellow in the park. if i have a chance i'll post more pictures later)

but in the meantime, let's stick with what's important: treats.

rebecca and i made cupcakes,

a recipe i'd had at a friend's birthday party a few months ago.

they were more brownie-like

(which i like, since i am not really a huge cake fan; i see cake more as a vehicle for frosting)

and delicious.

yummy yummy.

the recipe for both the cupcakes & frosting come from martha stewart.

(i say bookmark this one because a good cupcake is hard to find!)

here is the cupcake recipe at the source

Chocolate cupcakes

Makes 12

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.
3. Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then spread with Easy White Icing using a table knife or small offset spatula. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

you can find the buttercream frosting recipe here,

or here if you are too lazy to hop over to her site:

Basic Buttercream Frosting
INGREDIENTS
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Food coloring (optional)

PREPARATION

1. Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, about 5 minutes. (After every 2 additions, increase speed to high, and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce speed to medium-high).
2. Add vanilla, and beat until buttercream is smooth. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (If refrigerated before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth.)

(as you can see my daughter was a big fan)