When Austin and I got married on the ranch back in 2009 we knew we wanted to have great food, a very yummy chocolate cake to cut, and cupcakes for all to enjoy! My dear friend, Katie Rose, made our cake and cupcakes and she used Nigella Lawson's delicious Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake, which was first featured in her cookbook How To Be A Domestic Goddess (Hyperion, 2005). Now every Valentine's Day I make this cake for the whole family in memory of that beautiful day a long time ago:) This is Lawson's recipe but with a few changes to make it perfect for cupcakes. Below is the photo of our wedding cake.

Specialty Equipment: Muffin tins, mixer 

Recipe makes 24-36 cupcakes

Active time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes (includes cooling time)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups soft unsalted butter
• 3 ⅓ cups dark brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 ounces best bittersweet chocolate, melted
• 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 ¼ cups of boiling water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375° and line cupcake pans.
2. In a medium bowl mix flour and baking soda.
3. In another medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Then add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined. 
4. Then fold in the melted chocolate, taking care to mix well but being careful not to over beat.
5. Gently add the flour mixture alternating with the boiling water until you have a smooth batter. The batter will be very liquidy. 
6. Pour batter into cupcake pans, filling each almost to the top.
7. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Let cool in the cupcake pan for 15 minutes, then remove from tin when ready to frost. 
9. Frost each cupcake with about 2 tablespoons of Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:  

It was such a fun wedding that went well into the night. In the photo below, Austin and I are taking our first bites of the cake. Yes, Austin made the mistake of smashing it on my face, so he got a lot of cake right back at him. Fun memories.    

Enjoy!

Elizabeth