mocha cupcakes//lilac flour frosting

Going to school early, to study social psychology turned into an application of  the subject itself. It was interesting applying the first 3 chapters of the textbook on a friend's life. His school problems, which combined with self-serving bias, the discounting principle, and the covariation model of attribution between the actors, entity and situation caused a friendship to blow up. Happening all right in front of me, I was slightly shocked. I shared a part of my stash of chocolates with him. The other friend got some too. Chocolate is amazing as feeling blockers.. haha.

I made chocolate cupcakes a while back because I was seriously craving for chocolate. Yes, I wanted chocolate even though I had a stash of Halloween candy. I bought after Halloween when it was on sale. Any one want the mini-aero bars? I'm not sharing the coffee crisp at all. I'm sorry... not. But you can have all my Aeros!

My want to eat moist chocolate cupcakes made from scratch was overwhelming. The thought of having something soft and super chocolaty without the crazy sugary sweetness of candy bars made me salivate. It's making me salivate even now. The trick to enhance the cocoa flavour in baked goods? Add coffee! I didn't brew coffee but I dumped in several tablespoon full of instant hazelnut flavoured coffee granules into the batter. Mmm yummy, the cake turned out having a slight taste of sweet hazelnut flavour.. almost as if Nutella was an addition. 

The most common way to make crazy moist chocolate cupcakes is to use Betty Crocker's Moist cake mix. A major violation to the baker's code! I know! So I just had to find that perfect made from scratch cupcake recipe. I found one @ TheFarmChicks! To make it suit my taste buds, I cut down on the sugar, used  coconut sugar for a substitute and the rest of my agave syrup, added a couple more teaspoons of cocoa than the recipe asks for, as well as adding the well needed instant coffee granules.

And to top it off? drum roll please...

Purple cream cheese boiled flour frosting!

In a medium sized saucepan combine:

1/2 - 1/3 cup flour
3/4 - 4/5 cup white sugar
1 cup milk
pinch of salt
Cook until thick glue like consistency. let it cool till room temperature
Beat in:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup cream cheese
a splash of vanilla
purple gel food dye (or any other colours)
Beat until it's fluffy looking, and slather it all over the cupcakes if you can't wait to eat it. Otherwise pipe or dollop a mass of the frosting and add a Smartie from the unending Halloween Smarties stash!

I used a Wilton's Purple/Lilac Food gel which made the purple amazingly bright and beautiful, the colour somehow deepened overnight which enhanced its physical attractiveness. Hot stuff.