no such thing as too much chocolate

there is no such thing as too much chocolate....

.....right?

i came across this delicious dessert recipe when i was trying to use some of the baking stuff i had in my kitchen pantry. it started out with a box of chocolate fudge cake mix. in all honesty, i haven't really baked anything from scratch except for 3 occasions :: my first apple pie (which had a disastrous crust), tiramisu (i didn't bake the lady fingers, of course) and several times making the ultimate blueberry cheesecake.

so cake mixes are a great invention imo but i wanted to make it into something different and new. hence, i was very excited when i found this recipe: too much chocolate cake which i converted into cupcakes just because it's just easier for sharing.

it also required chocolate chips which i already (the mini chocolate chips type) in my pantry - perfect! but i had to go to the store for some extra ingredients: sour cream, instant chocolate pudding, eggs and cupcake liners. just when i was ready to get started with the baking it was then i realized...

.....i didn't have a cupcake pan >.< i could swear that i had one of those but couldn't find it so it was off to the store AGAIN...

i'll spare you the details and let these instagrams do the talking. 

 

one huge thing i was worried about was cooking time. i was converting a bundt cake recipe into cupcakes so that changes the baking time ~ so i had to guess and cross my fingers, hoping for the best.

 

the final product came out pretty well. since i didn't have frosting planned for this first trial, i just sprinkled some powdered sugar and oddly enough it looks like the cake-y cookies i made all the time. in fact, it tasted almost like it :) moist, fluffy and definitely chocolate-y cupcake. i brought it to work to share with others and it was a huge hit with everyone. they loved it and some even asked me for the recipe ^.^

it was so good that this thanksgiving i made it for ryan's family. and this time i had a frosting in the plans. however, i was pondering long and hard what would go well with chocolate cake and if i should make frosting from scratch or just get it from the store. my mind was weighing out the possibilities ~ from peanut butter frosting to classic vanilla to cream cheese frosting. in the end, i decided on blueberry frosting which i found a really delicious recipe of from here. 

blueberry in progress :)

i have to admit i messed up the frosting a tad since i have never made it from scratch before - should have creamed the butter first before adding the powdered sugar but i tried rectifying it by just adding the blueberries which ended up working out. 

the pairing worked really well! ryan's sister would put a cupcake and blitz it real quick in the microwave and then add the cool frosting on top. she loved it and mentioned that the chocolate chips melts within the cake itself. i have to admit i had a few of those delectable yummy-ness over that thanksgiving weekend too >.<

if you are interested in trying this cake yourself, you can find the recipes here:

too much chocolate cake: recipe

blueberry frosting: recipe

too much chocolate cake

found on allrecipes.com (with some personal changes)

ingredients |

• 1 (18.25 oz) package devil's food cake mix
• 1 (5.9 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream 
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• added 1-2 tsp of instant espresso powder (to bring out the chocolate flavor more)

directions |

• preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
• in a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water
• stir in the chocolate chips with a spatula
• divide the batter as evenly as possible into greased and lined cupcake pan (yields about 24 cupcakes - so 2 batches)
• bake for about 20-25 minutes. always go for the lower cooking time and check with toothpick for doneness of cake. it is done if the wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean.

note | i didn't follow the recipe to a 'T' and it still turned out really well ~ didn't have the right amount of instant pudding mix and chocolate chips. for my first try, i used the chocolate fudge cake mix and this  second time, i used the devil's food cake mix - i actually prefer the former better.

blueberry frosting

found on shazam in the kitchen blog

ingredients | 

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla 
• 1 cup frozen blueberries

directions |

• simmer the blueberries on the stove until most of the berries burst and release their liquids
• mash gently with a wooden spoon and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until cold
• cream the butter until smooth and then gradually add the powdered sugar
• add vanilla extract and the chilled blueberries and continue mixing until it is mixed well

blogger's note | you can also use fresh blueberries if desired but you may want to adjust the amount of powdered sugar added, depending on the liquid derived from the berries to ensure a spreadable consistency.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.