TEXAS SHEET CAKE CUPCAKES (Adapted from Six Sisters Stuff)

I LOVE Texas Sheet Cake and have been making it for years and years.  I don’t know why it never occurred to me to simply make cupcakes out of them?

1 cup butter
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk*
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

*Buttermilk substitute:  Mix 1/2 cup milk with 2 tsp vinegar. Let sit for a minute before adding to other ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place 24 cupcake liners into muffin pans. In a small saucepan, bring the butter, water, and cocoa powder to a boil.

Turn off and set aside. Combine flour, sugar, and baking soda in a bowl.

Add eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and cocoa mixture. Stir until well blended.

Pour batter into cupcake liners (about 2/3 full). Bake for 18-20 minutes or until done. They will be moist- make sure that you don’t overcook them! Cool completely.

Fudge frosting:
6 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter
4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, combine milk, cocoa powder, and butter. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and powdered sugar. Stir until it starts to thicken slightly (about 3-4 minutes). Drop a tablespoon full onto center of each cupcake. The frosting will thicken quickly, so do not make the frosting until ready to put on cupcakes.

This is a pour on frosting. It is not a spread or pipe on. It will still be a little runny when it is applied. The frosting will harden as it cools on the cupcake. The best way to tell when it is ready to use is to drop a spoonful on a plate and see how far it spreads. When it spreads just to the width of a cupcake, it’s ready. If it spreads too far, stir for a little longer.  I used one heaping soup spoonful per cupcake.

THEN, I’m topping each cupcake with one of these cuties: