From Fannie Farmer
For many years Mom made these for my birthday, usually to take into school. There was at least one inexplicable year when I had them frosted with pink icing (me? pink??). There are presumably many, many other times these were made, but I always think of them as my pink birthday cupcakes. The icing recipe follows. I assume she didn't use rum for my school birthday parties - but you should! -Sara
12 cupcakes
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 stick butter
4 oz. (4 squares) semisweet chocolate
1 tsp. vanilla extract
icing
Preheat oven to 325. Grease the muffin pans, line them with fluted paper baking cups, or spray them with non-stick vegetable coating.
Combine the granualted sugar, flour, salt, and eggs, and stir briskly until mixed.
Put the butter and chocolate in a heavy saucepan and place over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted.
Let cool slightly, then pour over the first mixture and beat until blended. Stir in the vanilla.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, filling half full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and turn out onto a rack to cool. Frost with following icing or dust with confectioner's sugar.
Frosting
Yield: about 1-3/4 cups
(As per Fannie Farmer: For a quick, special cake filling, reserve 1/4 cup of the frosting and combine it with 1/2 cup finely chopped figs, nuts, dates, or raisins, either alone or in combination; spread between the layers. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining plain frosting. You will have enough to fill and frost an 8" 2-layer cake.)
4 Tbs. butter, melted
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract or rum
3 cups confectioner's sugar
Combine the butter, cream, and vanilla or rum in a mixing bowl.
Slowly beat in the sugar until the frosting is thick, smooth, and spreadable. If too thick to spread, add droplets more cream; if too thin, beat in a little more sugar.