Double Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 ounces dark chocolate
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup
• 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 4 to 6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• Pinch of kosher salt
• Chocolate sprinkles

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F, and tuck 12 paper liners into a muffin tin. For the batter, whisk the flour, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl. In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk the buttermilk, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, then whisk just until the batter is smooth and everything has come together.
2. Spoon the batter evenly into the lined muffin cups; they will be almost filled. Bake in the hot oven for about 25 minutes, until the cupcake tops bounce back when gently pressed and a toothpick poked into the middle comes out clean.
3. Take the cupcakes out of the oven and let them cool all the way on a rack before you add frosting.
4. For the frosting, put the chocolate in a glass measuring cup and microwave it in 30-second intervals, stirring after each round, until it has melted into a smooth mixture. Stir in the corn syrup, then let the chocolate cool to room temperature. If you want it to cool faster, pour it into a wide, shallow bowl.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until it is soft. Add 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder, then beat until mixed; if it looks crumbly, don’t worry. Add 4 tablespoons of the heavy cream and the salt, and keep beating until the frosting smooths out.
6. Beat the room-temperature chocolate and corn syrup mixture into the frosting until it is fully blended and smooth. If the texture needs adjusting, beat in more powdered sugar and/or heavy cream until it is smooth and easy to spread.
7. Use an offset spatula or a butter knife to spread the frosting over the cooled cupcakes, or spoon it into a piping bag and pipe it on. Finish with sprinkles if you want.