Page 152 One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes with Gumdrops

"Piped buttercream starbursts and chewy gumdrops make playful toppings for these ever-popular chocolate cupcakes. As the name of the recipe implies, all the ingredients come together in one bowl. Using vegetable oil instead of butter makes an exceptionally moist cake; good quality cocoa powder, such as Valrhona, produces a deep, dark color and the best flavor. White icing and clear gumdrops combine to make this elegant monochromatic motif; use multi-colored gumdrops for a more whimsical effect. You can customize the cake flavor by using a different extract in place of the vanilla; for example, anise would compliment the clear gumdrops used here (increase the amount of extract to 1 1/2 teaspoons.)" - Martha

The funny, possibly, ironic thing here is, that for the most part all along I have been making these recipes in one bowl. Normally, Martha's recipes go something like this: Sift all dry ingredients into a bowl together; in another bowl, cream together the butter (oil) and sugars then adding to it the eggs and vanilla while mixing; when fluffy, add the flour mixture to the butter and mix until combined. So there are always at least two bowls used in every recipe. Some recipes, however, there are many more bowls used...and pots...and pans. This recipe starts out with the flour sifting as usual, but then simply has the baker add the eggs and oil, etc. to the flour and mix. Easy-schmezy.

I folowed the recipe as is, but I didn't have enough cocoa powder. (I haven't used this much cocoa powder as in the past three months as I have used my ENTIRE life!) So, to compensate, I added a more flour and after I had the batter in the baking tins, I added some mini semi-sweet chocolate chips ontop of each cupcake. Martha taught me that if you coat the chips in flour prior to adding them to batter, that the chips would not sink to the bottom of the cupcake. They would float on top or in the center. I chose not to add more flour to this cupcake (since I had already over-dosed the recipe with it) instead I used a portion of an opened box of a white cake mix a coated my chips in that instead. I knew it would add tastiness but would still "do the trick." The cupcake batter was very thin, which it doesn't say anything about that in the recipe book, a I was concerned about it. But they baked up just fine...moist and delicious.

I didn't have any gumdrops, but since Halloween is around the corner, I dressed these with jellybeans and chocolate icing instead. The licorice and chocolate compliment each other so nicely!