Chocolate cupcakes for Valentine's Day

Chocolate and roses are the two symbols of Valentines day.
Today's recipe combines both ... "chocolate" and "roses"... chocolate-rose cupcakes.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY ....EVERYONE.....!!

I made these cupcakes for a dear friend's baby shower. I hope she and her guests enjoyed them. Most of the baking recipes I know or have tried successfully with little or no modifications come from Stephanie Jaworski's very popular website (www.joyofbaking.com). I owe almost all of my knowledge of baking to extensive reading and a lot of trials and errors from this website and many more. Chocolate cupcakes are one of the easier recipes.

 Ingredients:

• 175 gms flour (1 and 1/2 cups)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 200 gms sugar(1 cup)
• 50 gms cocoa powder
• 1 cup water( 240 ml)
• 80 ml oil (1/3 cup)
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 eggs
• cocoa powder / icing sugar for dusting
• sugar sprinkles for decoration
• 1 cup (or more) frosting of your choice ( I have used cream-cheese frosting)

Recipe:

• Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees and line a cupcake tray with paper liners. (I used a silicon rose-mold tray too, which doesn't require any greasing)
• Heat the water in a microwave and pour cocoa powder and mix it well. Let it cool.

• Measure the flour. Add baking powder and salt to it and keep it aside.

• Add oil to the sugar and mix well with a cake whisk. 

• Add eggs one and at a time and beat well.

• Add the vanilla essence, cocoa-water and mix well after each addition.

• Now, sieve the flour over the mix and fold it in. Make sure there are no air bubbles or lumps.

• Pour the batter with a rounded spoon (I have used an icecream scoop) in the cupcake liners. Fill the batter a little more than half ...and not over 2/3 space of the liner. 

• Bake for 15-20 minutes.

• Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then un-mold them.

• Serve them as they are, or dust with powdered sugar or cocoa powder or frost them with your favorite icing and sprinkles.

• How do you like them....???? 

Quantity:

• About 14-16 cupcakes (small size)

Notes:

• I have substituted powdered sugar instead of regular sugar.
• I have substituted oil instead of butter from the original joyofbaking recipe.
• Use butter for richer flavor.