Valentine's Day Cupcakes with White (Pink) Chocolate Hearts

OK so you might be thinking isn't this the same idea as your Snowflake Cupcakes??? Well... yes. White chocolate, it turns out, is just as pretty when piped into hearts, tinted pink with food coloring, and dusted with edible pearl dust or edible glitter. Make the toppers a few days in advance and keep them in the fridge.

The recipes for yellow cupcakes and chocolate buttercream are my absolute favorite. The cupcakes are super buttery, light, and moist. And the chocolate buttercream... sorry, words cannot describe.



Yellow Cupcakes from Martha Stewart

Makes 12

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.line the cups of a standard (12-cup) muffin tin with paper or foil liners. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a liquid-measuring cup, mix milk and vanilla; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer on low speed, add half of dry ingredients, followed by milk-vanilla mixture, then remaining dry ingredients. Do not overmix.
3. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups (a 2-ounce or 1/4-cup ice-cream scoop is good for this).
4. Place tin on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cupcakes 5 minutes in tin, then remove and cool completely on a rack before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting from the Ghirardelli container

Will frost 12 cupcakes or tops and sides of 2 9" cakes

6 Tbsp. butter, softened
2-2/3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix confectioners' sugar with cocoa. Blend sugar mixture with butter alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth. Blend in vanilla.

White Chocolate Hearts and Letters

1 bag white chocolate chips
food coloring
1 cookie sheet
wax paper

Melt white chocolate in a double boiler. Stir in food coloring. Let cool a bit, but not harden. Pour into a a pastry bag with a #3 or 4 tip or into a ziploc bag with a tiny bit of a corner cut off. Place wax paper on a cookie sheet. Pipe white chocolate into your desired shapes. Let harden in refrigerator.

If you want your hearts to be shimmery like mine, dust with edible pearl dust (available at craft stores) or sprinkle with the regular decorating sparkles from the grocery store while wet.