White Chocolate Cupcakes

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Position an oven rack in the center position and line a pan of twelve 3-by-1 1/2-inch muffin cups with paper liners.

In a heatproof bowl, dump the chocolate. Bring a wide saucepan of water to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and place the bowl in the hot water. Let it stand, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Be careful not to let any water get in the bowl or the chocolate will seize and clump. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool until tepid.

In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a glass measuring cup, stir together the milk and vanilla.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer on high speed, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the tepid chocolate. 

Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk mixture in 2 additions, and mix until smooth. 

Using a 2-inch diameter ice cream scoop or a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop the batter into the prepared cups. The cups shouldn't be more than 2/3 full. (If you overfill the cups, they'll end up flat rather than domed.)

Bake the white chocolate cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overbake. Don't be alarmed if the cupcakes don't rise appreciably or if they fail to turn golden brown.

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan, place them on the wire rack, and cool completely.

Just before serving, frost your white chocolate cupcakes with the white chocolate cream cheese frosting. (For an especially professional look, use an ice-cream scoop to top each cupcake with the frosting, then use a small spatula to smooth each portion of frosting into a dome.)

Dessert