Recipe: Homemade Yellow Cupcakes with Rich Chocolate Ganache

I will never turn down a fancy dessert made by one of the many renowned pastry chefs in our fair city, but sometimes a plain homemade yellow cupcake is really what I long for, top it with chocolate and I shall want for nothing.

I keep a few cupcake liners on hand for days like today when the craving starts. There's just something about cupcakes vs. regular cake. They bake faster, you don't have to grease a pan, they're portable, you can properly eat them with your fingers, plus, lots of little cakes are just more fun than one big one. But, you can bake the batter however you like, the only mandate I have for this dessert is that it is truly homemade- no mixes allowed. This cupcake tastes like butter and vanilla, like no mix possibly could, and it only takes a few extra minutes to measure out the additional ingredients. With a rich flavor and moist crumb that still has body, the little cakes are not overly light and airy like that from a mix. These can be eaten plain or are a match made in heaven with sweetened strawberries. Or, to end all of your cravings, top them with the rich chocolate ganache.

Yellow Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Cream sugar and butter with electric hand or stand mixer. Add eggs, milk and vanilla, scraping down the sides of bowl. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in separate bowl, then add to liquids. Mix on low speed until combined, then mix on medium to high speed for 3 minutes.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until it tests done. Cool in pans for 5 minutes and then move to racks and cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Ganache

8 oz. semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 T. sugar
1 T. light corn syrup
2 T. unsalted butter

Bring heavy cream, sugar and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add chocolate and butter, stirring until melted. If it is too runny to spread, let the mixture cool slightly. Frost cooled cupcakes and enjoy.