Hello Happy Cupcake Bakers!

I’m so excited to see all of the recipes coming in for the contest! What, you haven’t heard about The Original Cupcake Recipe Contest? AKA the “Get your cupcake recipe published in the back of one of my Sugarberry Island Cupcake Club books” contest? Well, stop right now and click on this CONTEST! button and read all about it…then get your recipe to me! The recipe test kitchen has already been fired up and we’re baking! I want to bake YOUR cupcakes, so what are you waiting for?

Also…there’s more exciting CONTEST! news coming. I can’t spill the frosting just yet, but next week, look for a Very Cool Announcement regarding the judging panel for the contest. Oh my!!

Since I can’t reveal what cupcakes I’m testing rightthisverysecond, I did go and play in the kitchen with a recipe I can share with you this week. It’s from 2007, Southern Living, so you know it’s going to be insanely yummy. And it is. But before I switched over to Southern Living and their easy to interpret, regular ol’ ingredient list….I first tried a recipe from a British cookbook I have on baking. And, well…let’s just say the results of trying to turn Sour Cream Crumble Cake into little cups of crumbcake goodness was an epic fail on the part of this baker. Even Paula Deen would have said “too much butter.” Just sayin.

So, to assuage my pain at having to toss out multiple trays of cupcakes (I know! I’ve never thrown away a cupcake in my life, it’s just so WRONG…but these were That Bad) naturally, I turned to….of course, chocolate. This time, in the form of Mississippi Mud Cupcakes. because if you’re going to go chocolate, why not throw in some toasted pecans and marshmallows and make it a real party? Am I right? Well, you can be the judge. I’m still grinning with marshmallowy happiness. Come on….join me!

Southern Living Missippi Mud Cupcakes

Ingredients
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 (10.5-oz.) bag miniature marshmallows

Preparation
1. Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet.
2. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted.
3. Microwave 1 cup butter and semisweet chocolate in a large microwave-safe glass bowl at HIGH 1 minute or until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds.
4. Whisk sugar and next 5 ingredients into chocolate mixture. Spoon batter evenly into 24 paper-lined muffin cups.
5. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until puffed. Sprinkle evenly with 2 cups miniature marshmallows, and bake 5 more minutes or until golden. Remove from oven, and cool cupcakes in muffin pans 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans, and place on wire rack. Drizzle warm cakes evenly with Chocolate Frosting, and sprinkle with toasted pecans.

Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
1. Stir together first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until slightly thickened; remove from heat. Beat in powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

Now, was I right, or was I right? These are crunchy, gooey, chocolatey goodness in a paper cup. Totally got me over my crumble cake crumbling. Mmmmm.

Time to announce this week’s Blog Cupcake Candy winner! Thank you to all who entered! And the winner of a free book from my Bigtime Author Website Bookshelf is? Jane Cheung! Wahoo, Jane! Just email me a few title ideas (in case I’m out of your first choice) and your address and I will get your winning prize out to you!

Yes, of course there is more Blog Cupcake Candy this week! Send an email to donna@donnakauffman.com with “Mmmm, Southern Living. I want a cookbook!” in the subject line. I will draw one name from the pile and the winner will receive a Southern Living Cupcake cookbook! Ready, set, GO!!