So as I’ve mentioned, we’ve been blessed with a few good handfuls of grandkids and slowly but surely, they are growing up. It’s kinda shocking to realize I have one who’s 19 (OMG, Lavi, I cannot believe it) and 3 who are 16 +, a couple of 13-14 year olds, some 10 year olds, coupla 7 year olds and 2 littler ones. I especially get a kick out of the younger ones when they start acting adult-ish and having serious discussions with me. We hosted 4 of the boys 7, and 10-13 for Shabbat and they (and we) had an awesome time together. Their parents and I have long ago agreed that I have grandparental freedom to spoil them foodwise, not just with their fave foods but also with junk food starting with sugar cereals (hey, it’s only once in a while) and carrying on with gummy worms and hideous things of that nature. After all, if not me then who?

As soon as the boys told their sibs and cousins about the fun they had, I got a call from Carmel, who is 7, to proclaim that now the boys had a Shabbat in my house, what about the girls? I immediately agreed that this was not just or fair and the girls deserved their own chance. We negotiated who would come (they wanted me to invite Hadar who’s littler and although she’s a riot and loads of fun, I feel she’s a little too young to come without her parents) so we settled on 4 girls, Carmel and Tal, Noa and Libi who are good friends. The bigger girls will get their own Shabbat at a later date. It highly amused me that it was Carmel who negotiated like a mini organizer of a campaign. She also kept at it till we hammered out a date. I was impressed with this and told her mom Batya as much. So the moms, Rachel, Batya and Racheli were all on board with the Shabbat and I realized I had to prepare their favorite things. Now kids are kids and DH understands that exotic menus are not on the agenda. I usually make meatballs Tangy Meatballs in Cranberry Sauce, oven fried chicken shnitzel Quick and Easy Oven “Fried” Shnitzel, rice Simple Basic White Rice, basic roast chicken Simple Roast Chicken and mushroom barley and bean soup Savta Norma’s Mushroom Bean & Barley Soup and things of that ilk. This way I don’t have those dreaded moments of the kids looking at their plates and trembling lips when there’s nothing they like to eat. Learned that years ago! Snazzy, exotic dishes are for adults only and even then I have to know my audience.

So the basic menu was already known by me and I decided to go with a new/old dessert. I make chocolate cake only once in a while since me and DH are less fans of it than other types but wanted something moist and delicious with a party feel to it. Besides, who doesn’t like cupcakes with frosting? So I went with an ancient recipe which I pulled out of my decrepit recipe card holder and changed it from a cake recipe to cupcakes in order to delight the girls. Getting your own little cake is more fun.

You can absolutely make this in a mixer but I made it in two bowls this time just because. So start by preheating the oven to 350 F/180 C, and place paper (or foil – I used gold foil for pizzazz, the girls loved it) cases in a 12 cup muffin tin. This recipe made exactly 13 cupcakes but it depends so have an extra cupcake tin available or it may only turn out to 12, the strange ways baking works out. Pour the boiling water over your cocoa.

Whisk boiling water and cocoa till smooth and immediately add the margarine/butter and let melt into mixture and whisk till combined. No worries if you see some globules of the melted marg/butter, it will incorporate in the dry mixture, no problem.

While this cools, mix together in a separate bowl (or in mixer, as you choose) the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar till mixed well.

By now your chocolate mixture should’ve cooled sufficiently (check by dipping a finger in all the way to bottom of bowl) you are adding eggs and don’t want them to scramble from the heat. So add the eggs and the vanilla and whisk. Now add the chocolate mixture to the dry mixture

and combine well till the mixture has no flour pockets but don’t overmix.

The consistency is medium thin like so:

I find it easier to pour accurately into the cupcake cases if I pour from a measuring cup but you can just use a 1/3 cup measure if you prefer. Try to make the cupcakes the same amount of batter so they bake evenly together.

You note that the batter is almost to the top of the paper casing. Place in preheated oven and bake approximately 20-22 minutes or till a wooden toothpick comes out clean. While baking, prepare the frosting.

Take the cream and heat till just before boiling (I do this in the microwave but you can do it on the stovetop as well) and immediately pour over the chocolate chips in a bowl, stirring until smooth.

Now set aside ganache covered in the fridge to thicken up a bit.

Do not overbake the cupcakes. Let cool in pan on wire rack and remove with paper/foil casing.

Note that the cupcakes don’t rise crazy high, just a little doming going on there. That’s correct.

Take the cupcakes out of the pan with their casing to frost them.

Once fully cooled, remove frosting from fridge (a note. Don’t do the frosting before preparing the cake batter or it will get too thick/hard to spread) and gently slather over tops of cupcakes. You will probably have some leftover frosting so either use it up with abandon on the cupcakes or let sit a bit longer in the fridge, roll small scoops into balls and shake some cocoa over them to make little truffles. A wicked little treat.

The cupcakes are moist but not fudgy, they have a proper cakey consistency and are intensely chocolatey in flavor. You take a bite and have a swoony chocolate moment. Pair with milk, hot chocolate, coffee or tea and forget about your troubles for a moment! By the way, the kids loved ’em!!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Cupcake batter:

1/2 cup (60 grams) cocoa

1 cup (250 ml) boiling water

1/2 cup(113 grams) margarine/butter

1 1/3 cups (166 grams) white flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:

1 1/2- 1 3/4 cups (226 -254 grams) chocolate chips (more chips makes a thicker frosting)

1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream or Rich’s Whip nondairy topping

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with foil or paper casings. This should produce 12 cupcakes, perhaps one more so make sure you have a tin foil cupcake extra just in case.

Pour the boiling water over the cocoa in a medium bowl and immediately stir with a whisk/fork till smooth, and add the margarine/butter to the hot mixture to melt in it, stirring until combined. Do not worry if there are small globules floating in the mixture, they will incorporate into the flour mixture just fine. In a mixer or a separate bowl, mix together, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar and stir well together. Add the eggs and vanilla to the cooled cocoa mixture (make sure by testing with a finger it’s cooled so you don’t cook the eggs!). Stir together the wet mixture and the dry mixture until just combined with no remaining pockets of flour. Pour evenly into the cupcake liners in pan and bake 20-22 minutes or till a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan. When cooled, remove with the paper casing.

Prepare ganache frosting while cupcakes are baking. Heat the cream or Rich’s Whip till hot but not boiling. Pour over the chocolate chips and stir till smooth. Allow to cool in fridge till it starts to thicken and mound up but still soft enough to frost cupcakes. Frost all the cupcakes with the frosting.