"Death by Chocolate" cupcakes

I made these for my sister-in-law's birthday, per her "chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate" request.  They filled the bill.  :)  My daughters really wanted to help with this (they wanted to make something special for Aunt Becky) so keep in mind that these could come out looking a lot "cleaner" with less kid-"help" :) then I had.  Here's how we did it:

I started with drawing out my cupcake toppers with a sharpie on plain white paper.  Then I placed the paper on a cookie sheet and covered it with a sheet of parchment paper.

Next you need a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 3 squares of white chocolate.  I prepared a pair of decorating bags with couplers, and a small piece of cellophane on the end of each (to keep the melted chocolate from drizzling out before I was ready).

Divide the semi-sweet chocolate into 2 equal 6 oz. portions and melt half of them in the microwave, in 30 second bursts, until it was smooth.  Pour the melted chocolate into one of the prepared bags, and use a small round tip (Wilton tip 3 or 4) to pipe the toppers by tracing the ones you've drawn.

(This is so easy that my girls used up the rest of the melted chocolate making their own decorations).

Once you've finished piping them, toss them in the freezer while you whip up a batch of:

Moist Chocolate Cake (Amanda's modified recipe)
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 2/3 cups granulated white sugar
12 Tbsp (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 and 2 cupcake pans (total 24) with liners.  It's not a bad idea to lightly spray the top of the pans so that over-flow doesn't stick.  Beat all ingredients together until well mixed, about 2 minutes in a stand mixer.  Pour/scoop (this will be thick) batter into the liners to 2/3 full.  You should get 24 cupcakes from this.  Bake them approximately 16-20 minutes (depending on your oven) or until JUST set (cupcakes are VERY easy to over-bake, and they will be dry if you do.  A toothpick should come out mostly clean and dry.

While your cupcakes are baking, melt the 3 squares of white chocolate and transfer it to the bag, following the same procedure as with the semi-sweet.  Take your toppers out of the freezer and embellish them further with white chocolate (a very attractive affect, though optional) using a slightly smaller tip (Wilton 2).

Pop them back into the freezer.

While your cupcakes are cooling, whip up a batch of 100% chocolate butter-cream frosting (this doesn't need to hold like crusting butter-cream, so you can omit the shortening, use straight butter, and they's taste simply divine:

Chocolate Butter-cream Frosting
6 oz. melted chocolate (cooled)
11 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk (use a bit more or less to find the right consistency)
6 cups powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth, using additional sugar and milk to create the right texture.

Prepare a decorating bag with a very large round tip (Wilton 12 or 2A) and spoon in your frosting.  Once the cupcakes are fully cooled, you can gently push the decorating tip down into the center of the cupcake about 3/4" and squeeze carefully JUST until the cupcake starts to "puff" slightly.

Now you've filled your cupcake.  Once you've done this with all 24 of them, change the tip out for a cupcake swirl tip (such as a Wilton 2D or similar) and swirl on the remaining frosting.

Now you're ready to take your toppers out of the freezer and top your cupcakes.

NOTE:  The high butter-concentration and the delicacy of the melted/re-solidified chocolate will make these cupcakes high-risk in warmer weather!  I made these for an outdoor party in nearly 80 degree weather, and they did fine because I kept them in the fridge until about 2 1/2 hours before they were eaten.  Just take care around heat with these!  And keep a glass of milk nearby, because they're RICH and wonderful.  :)