mini chocolate cupcakes with swiss meringue buttercream

I know, I know. Chocolate cupcakes? With vanilla frosting? Could I puh-leeze get any more basic. This has Betty Crocker written all over it. Except... well, if you've been following me long enough, I'm sure you've wondered at least once where the recipe is for my signature little cupcake. This silly cupcake is my picture on Facebook and Twitter and a couple of other platforms. And yet, the recipe is nowhere to be found! So... I have decided. Today is the day!

This recipe is truly nothing more than Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake baked in little ketchup cups {which allows you to make a million cupcakes because you don't need a muffin pan}, and my favorite Martha Stewart Swiss Meringue Buttercream. It's not a hard recipe, it's a simple recipe done right. That's what I tell myself, anyway. The cake comes together in a pinch, while the buttercream is a little bit more time consuming. It tastes SO good though! If you're never had real, homemade buttercream frosting, you really must. It tastes light and fluffy like whipped cream. How does it happen? I don't know, but I'm not complaining. This stuff is amazing! And, word to the wise, this is pretty much my go-to frosting when it comes to good stuff. Add vanilla or almond extract or lime juice... the possibilities are endless!

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Yields: about 48 mini cupcakes + 3 cups of frosting

for the cupcakes
from The Pioneer Woman
2 cups flour
2 cups white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoon dark cocoa
1 cup {2 sticks} unsalted butter
1 cup boiling water
½ cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a mini muffin pan with liners, or arrange ketchup/nut cups onto a baking sheet with a silicone mat. Set aside for now.
In a medium nonstick saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the cocoa, and stir together. Add boiling water, let everything boil for about 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Dump in the flour, sugar, and salt, and stir to combine. In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir everything together, then pour into the butter and chocolate mix. Using a tablespoon, fill the prepared cupcake liners. Do NOT fill more than about half or they will overflow! Bake for 9-11 minutes, then let cool completely before frosting.

for the swiss meringue buttercream
from Martha Stewart
¾ cups white sugar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
dash of cream of tartar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and at room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Bring a saucepan filled with about 2 inches of water to a simmer. Meanwhile, combine sugar, egg whites, and salt in a large heatproof mixing bowl (I usually just use my KitchenAid bowl). Set bowl over the pot of simmering water, and whisk until whites are warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved, 2-3 minutes. Test by rubbing the syrup between your fingers, if you can't feel any sugar granules, it's ready.
Attach the bowl to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, and beat on low speed until foamy. Add in the cream of tartar, and beat on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, and the mixture is cooled completely.
Reduce speed to medium-low; add butter in a couple of tablespoons at a time, waiting until one is completely incorporated before adding another. If the mixture appears curdled at this point, it's totally normal! Keep beating and adding butter and it will become smooth again. After all the butter is in, add your vanilla or almond extract.
Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, frost as desired, then top with a dusting of cocoa powder. Then, eat promptly! If not using immediately or very soon after, store the cupcakes in the fridge. The icing gets pretty hard, so take out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before you plan to serve.