Cupcake Wars! Four Dark Side of the Force ways to Heaven......

I am trying to find the perfect cupcake (chocolate of course people!). The cupcake with the moist but dark, rich, flavor that seemingly sucks you into a torrent of passion so deep--it freezes you. I kid you not. I did not find it. But on the other hand I did find 4 recipes, which I noted looked worth my time. As I knew myself, and the enmity I had within myself, for myself, I knew I had to make all four recipes the same day. Had I made but one or two a day I would have consumed every last one and had none left for side by side comparisons.

I made these in my mini cupcake maker, my thought being I could bake a lot faster, and save energy (not mine). Now the mini cupcake maker had been beckoning me ever since I laid eyes on it. Here was something that could justify small batches of cupcakes every other day or so. Had I made batter for one cupcake and turned the oven on for that, it would have damaged my penny pinching sensibilites. I could make fewer trans fatty treats, they'd be fresh and I'd save money! Well so far the machine passes for me. It DOES make cuppycakes in five minutes. I also think it makes them rise extra well, compared to the oven. Downside was cleaning and taking the actual cupcakes OUT. All in all, I DO love this little baby cuppycake maker. ONWARDS!

The four recipes I slaved over till midnight were,

1. Better than **X cupcakes



2. Ina Garten'sBarefoot Contessa Chocolate Cake



3. Double Layer Chocolate



4. Cook's IllustratedDark Chocolate

The Double Chocolate was the gummiest of the four. Though they had a good taste. I'm wondering if they were'nt made for cupcake machines (the tightly closed machine really makes cupcakes rise due to the steam that forms inside). It also had highly pointed domes.

Ina Gartens recipe produced the spongiest cupcakes and a slight gumminess (again machine?). They were soft, but the taste was the least liked of the four recipes.

The better than _ _ _, l don't want my blog flagged as a porno site, I'm omitting THE word, ok?) had an average taste. But better than Ina's. The texture was avergae.

The Cooks Illustrated
had the best chocolate taste. It had a grainyness to the texture that I was not thrilled with, almost a very fine powdery crumb. It was moist and had a fall apart in your mouth softness.

In conlusion, I shall be making these again, this time asking for taste testing help from family. Last time I ate all 40 cupcakes by myself (For gods sake! ----They were mini's!) .