Suzanne’s Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
Suzanne and I share granddaughters and over the years we have laughed, cried, and commiserated together. The day we combined forces to remove a healthy green, aggressive lizard from the bathroom, our mutual respect became forever solidified.
WONDERFUL describes this multi-faceted woman, and her culinary skills match her other accomplishments—Shakespearean scholar, children’s librarian, and hostess extraordinaire, to mention a few. Since Mimi’s kitchen never disappoints, perhaps you want to include her Chocolate Cupcake recipe in your 4th of July gathering.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I use Hershey)
1 cup hot water
1 2/3 cups all- purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
Instructions:
Heat oven to 400.
Line 24 medium muffin cups with paper baking cups.
Mix cocoa and water until smooth and let cool.
Blend flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.
Add butter and cocoa mixture.
Beat 2 min. medium speed on mixer.
Add eggs and beat two more minutes.
Pour into paper baking cups 1/2 full.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes. I usually bake for 15 minutes since my oven runs a little hot.
Frost when cool. I just make a regular buttercream frosting.
The Story Behind the Cupboard Door
(From Suzanne) Between my junior and senior years at Taylor University, I decided to take summer school classes at Wheaton. I had a friend there and looked forward to an enjoyable few weeks with her and to the prospect of making new friends….all of which happened. When summer school ended, I decided to stay in the area for a few weeks, so I found a job through the Wheaton Student Employment office. I was hired to be the companion of a 90-year-old woman, and one of the activities this lady enjoyed was baking.
I had absolutely no experience cooking, but by using the recipes in her Betty Crocker Cookbook, we managed to bake some delicious desserts! In fact, I gained fifteen pounds just in those five weeks! Her doctor-daughter even began to have little luncheon parties with me as the cook/baker (smile).
When I left to head back to Taylor University, they presented me with….you guessed it—The 1961 edition of The New Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook! It contains this recipe developed just for cupcakes. It’s simple and generally successful.
I have used the recipe for many occasions, with the latest being a fun backyard gathering of my granddaughter Grace and seven of her closest friends!
I could add that that cookbook has been my mainstay for well over fifty years! It is a very worn copy at this point.
Living With Eternal Intentionality®
Now you see why Suzanne is so easy to love—and, why her baking is welcomed across multi-generation levels. Tell us, which recipes do you treasure from your grandmother?
