Valentine Cupcakes

Valentine Cupcakes

I bake these cupcakes for my husband on Valentine’s Day. But yellow batter cupcakes with chocolate frosting can be a treat anytime of the year. The cupcakes are actually an interpretation of my Grandmother Green’s 1-2-3-4 Cake, so called for the main ingredients and their amounts—one cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three cups of flour and four eggs. The result is a dense cake that’s a perfect foil for the bittersweet chocolate frosting. That recipe comes from my Mom’s battered paperback edition of The Women’s Day Cookbook, circa 1964. Recipes that have a family history are always the best!

1-2-3-4 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup milk

3 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Process:

Cream together the butter and sugar in a large ceramic bowl. Next slip in the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each. (Evidently this step will help the cake to rise.) Shift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter and sugar mixture a cup at a time alternatively with the milk. Stir in the vanilla last.

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake papers. Fill each three-quarters full, then bake in a preheated 350-degree oven. After 20 minutes or so, test for “doneness” by slipping a sharp knife into a cupcake center; if the knife comes out clean, the cupcake is fully baked. Let them sit for 10 minutes to cool, then flip them out of the tin and bake another batch. Cool the cupcakes completely before icing them.

This recipe makes about 24 cupcakes.

Semisweet Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients:

1 12 oz package of semisweet chocolate morsels

3 tablespoons butter

½ cup confectioners sugar

½ cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt.

Process:

Melt the semisweet morsels and butter together in the top part of a double boiler. Remove from the heat. Beat in the confectioners sugar in small amounts alternatively with the evaporated milk. Next add the vanilla and salt and beat again until smooth. This recipe can generously frost 24 cupcakes or three 8-inch cake layers.

Decorate the cupcakes with some Conversation Hearts—or Hershey Kisses—or whatever holiday candy strikes your fancy!