Birthday Cupcakes For My Sister!

My sister Megan's birthday was last week, and we celebrated it yesterday (Valentine's Day). So, I made some cupcakes! Another recipe from Cooks Illustrated - I have to make sure I get my money's worth for my online membership fee, I guess! These were pretty fun to make - I don't usually enjoy baking, but these had very few of the annoying parts of baking, and all of the fun (melting chocolate over the stove! stirring white sour cream into dark, dark, chocolate! oooohhhh...)

Here's the recipe (originally published 3/1/05):

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes.
"This recipe does not double very well. Cupcakes made from a doubled batch and baked side by side in the oven yield a slightly compromised rise. It's best to make two separate batches and bake each separately. Store leftover cupcakes (frosted or unfrosted) in the refirgerator, but let them come to room temperature before serving."

-8 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 4 pieces
-2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped [Carrina's note: most chocolate bars seem to come in 3.5 ounces, which means that you will need to use 4/7 of the chocolate bar - a very unhappy fraction since most of the bars also come in eight pre-scored rectangles. I eyeballed it and it turned out fine. It's all chocolate!)
-1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa (1 1/2 ounces)
-3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (3 3/4 ounces)
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-3/4 teaspoon baking powder
-2 large eggs
-3/4 cup sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/2 teaspoon table salt
-1/2 cup sour cream (4 ounces)

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard-sized muffin pan (cups have 1/2-cup capacity) with baking-cup liners.

2. Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and combined. Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

3. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.

4. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogenous and thick.

5. Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

6. Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes. (To frost: Mound about 2 tablespoons icing on center of each cupcake. Using small icing spatula or butter knife, spread icing to edge of cupcake, leaving slight mound in center.)

Safeway was out of powdered sugar, so for the frosting, I turned to my friends Duncan and Betty.