
Blackout cupcakes and a giveaway from Tate’s Bake shop in Southampton, NY!
Kathleen King’s blackout cupcakes from her new cookbook, Baking for Friends are a chocolate-lovers dream come true! Rich, dense chocolate cupcakes frosted with chocolate pudding and topped with chocolate cake crumbs. The chocolate pudding makes them truly unique.

Author Kathleen King is the creator and owner of the nationally acclaimed Tate’s Bake Shop in the Hamptons known for her delicious baked goods made with wholesome yet elegant ingredients. She started selling her cookies at a mere 11 years old and now her cookies are sold at over 5,000 retailers across the US and on her website TatesBakeShop.com.

King’s first cookbook, The Tate’s Bakeshop Cookbook is one of my favorites to bake from. Her peanut butter bread is absolutely divine and remains one of my most popular posts. Everything I bake out of the book is a hit and this second book promises more of the same.
With a wide array of recipes from cookies like chocolate-dipped orange shortbread to muffins like apple crumb to pies like sour cream lemon pudding to cakes like hazelnut with nutella cream to tea loaves like honeybell cake to scones like cinnamon swirl to cupcakes like white chocolate w/ raspberry filling and a “healthy lifestyle” chapter with gluten and sugar-free offerings there’s something for everyone.
If you’re anything like me you will have trouble choosing what to make first. Just close your eyes and pick a page! You can’t go wrong.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. (I say that a lot, don’t I?). You know I have to add my own little twist to everything I make so after chilling the pudding I beat confectioner’s sugar into it to make it more like a frosting. This is a quick fix if, for some reason your pudding doesn’t set up the way it should or you have trouble getting it to stay atop the cupcake.
The cupcakes improve with age. The night I made them they were good but the next day they were beyond delicious. Totally crave-worthy and completely unforgettable. I couldn’t keep my hands off them!
Chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner is not a bad thing, despite what anyone might say.
Rich, dense chocolate cupcakes frosted with chocolate pudding and topped with chocolate cake crumbs.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners and lightly butter a 9-by-2? round cake pan and line bottom with parchment or wax paper. Dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess.
- To make the chocolate cake: In a microwave on medium(50%) melt the chocolate, stirring at 30-second intervals until just melted, about 2 minutes. Let cool until tepid but still fluid.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a glass measuring cup, stir together the buttermilk and vanilla.
- In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar and butter with an electric mixer until the mixture is pale and fluffy, 3 minutes. One at a time, beat in the eggs and yolk.
- Beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat until flour is gone.
- Add the melted chocolate mixture. Gradually beat in the boiling water. (The batter will be very thin at this point).
- Using a 1/3 cup measure, transfer the batter to the muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full. Spread the remaining batter in the cake pan. Bake the cupcakes for 25 minutes, but continue to bake the cake until set, about 5 minutes more. Let cool.
- Make the frosting: In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and 1/2 cup of the water together.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the remaining water with sugar, cocoa powder and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the cornstarch mixture and reduce heat to low, whisking often until mixture is as thick as pudding (about 3 minutes).
- Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Add the chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes while chocolate melts, then mix well. Transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool, pressing plastic wrap on the surface. Chill very well.
- Crumble the cooled cake with your hands then place the crumbs in a shallow bowl. Pile 1/3 cup of icing on each cupcake, shaping it into a dome with a small knife. Roll the edges of the cupcakes in the crumbs. Serve.
Notes
Adapted from Tate's Bake Shop Baking for Friends

I’ve teamed up with Tate’s Bake Shop for a giveaway of one of their Holiday Cookie and Bar Towers (a $48 value)!
It includes three 7-oz boxes of cookies: one each of chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and white chocolate chip macadamia nut. It also includes two raspberry bars, two chocolate chip walnut blondies(my personal favorites!), and two of the fudgiest brownies that will ever cross your lips!

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed! Thanks to all who entered! Congratulations to the winner, Lisa @ Lucid Moon Studio.
Leave me a comment below with your favorite holiday cookie.
For bonus entries follow me on pinterest or facebook. Let me know in the comments that you did.
Giveaway ends Friday, Dec. 15, 2012 at 12 noon eastern time.
In full disclosure this is a sponsored post. I received compensation for my review and free products to giveaway. All opinions are purely my own.

















Double chocolate chip cookies!
I like Jam Thumbprints.