Chocolate chocolate chocolate birthday cupcakes

Chocolate cake brings back memories of birthday cakes my mother made during my childhood and early adult life. Mother rarely made desserts, but every year I could depend on her baking a chocolate cake for my birthday. It was always a box cake mix that was so moist and rich, stacked three layers tall with too much icing in between. The top layer would always slide slowly down one side like a graceful avalanche. You could count on it every year. We would laugh, make fun of her creation, but it tasted so good! I would give anything to have her here to bake one for my next birthday. Would I still make fun of it? Probably

My grandson recently had a birthday, and I decided to restart the tradition of chocolate birthday cakes. But, instead of a cake he wanted cupcakes. I read through my cookbooks and searched for the perfect chocolate cupcake recipe. I found it in Christina Tossi's cookbook 'All About Cake'. It's called "no one hates on a chocolate cupcake." The cupcakes are so rich and decadent with layer upon layer upon layer of chocolate textures and goodness. The birthday boy was happy, a new tradition was born.

chocolate birthday cupcakes get a thumbs up

Chocolate crumb is used to top the cupcake. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine sugar, AP flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and paddle on low speed to combine. Add melted butter and mix on low speed, until it comes together in small clusters. Spread the clusters on a parchment paper lined sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. Let the crumbs cool completely before using.

For the cake cream butter, granulated, and light brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and then beat on high.

Combine grapeseed oil, buttermilk, whole milk, and vanilla extract and stream very slowly into the batter. Continue mixing until the batter is white and doubled in size.