Happy Birthday to Me!!! Celebrate with a Cupcake!

Today is my Birthday.  I won't tell you how old I am but I'm over 50 and have spent a lot of those years baking.  To celebrate this Birthday, since it was on Sunday, I decided to take Friday and Monday off from work and give myself a four day weekend.  Of course I had to spend some of that time baking cupcakes.  My niece has been home in Utah visiting from New York City and has wanted to learn how to make some of my cupcake recipes. We planned Friday to be a full day of Cupcake baking.  Then a girlfriend called saying she needed cupcakes for a Baby Shower tonight.  Looks like cupcakes were definitely going to take up two days of my weekend.  What could be better?

I decided I needed a new Lemon Cupcake Recipe and decided to tweak a couple of recipes into one and create a new Lemon Cupcake with Lemon Buttercream in honor of my Birthday.  These cupcakes would serve double duty.  Some for the Baby Shower and the rest to celebrate my Birthday.  They turned out delicious!  

 

Linda's Luscious Lemon Cupcakes

Servings:  30-33

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (one large lemon)

Zest of one large lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: Line muffin tins with cupcake papers.  In a small bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt; stir to combine; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter using an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Add the sugar gradually and beat for 3 minutes or until fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.   Add lemon zest

Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk, lemon juice and vanilla.  With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over mix.

Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full.  Bake in a 350° oven for 20-25 minutes.  Cool the cupcakes in the tin for 10 minutes.  Remove cakes from the tins and cool on a wire rack before icing.  Ice with your favorite Buttercream.

Lemon Buttercream

Ingredients:

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter

6-8 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Zest of one lemon

1-2 tablespoons whole milk

Pinch of salt

Directions: 

Cream butter until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Gradually add 4 cups of powdered sugar.  Add lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and vanilla. Continue adding powdered sugar and/or milk until frosting is of piping consistency. Fill piping bag with frosting and pipe frosting swirls onto cupcakes.

For the Baby Shower the only instruction I received from my girlfriend was that she wanted the cupcakes to be Pink and Yellow and very girly.  I knew my new Lemon Cupcakes would be perfect.  Now for the Pink...I thought about my Pink Lemonade Cupcakes but thought that would be a little too much lemon.  My favorite cupcake of all time is a Vanilla / Vanilla.  It's the first cupcake I order whenever I'm trying out a new Cupcake Shop.  So, why not a Pink Vanilla / Pink Vanilla Cupcake?  I used the recipe for Magnolia's Vanilla Cupcake which you can find here adding a few drops of rose pink gel food coloring to tint the cake a soft pink.

I frosted them with a basic vanilla buttercream again tinted a soft pink with the rose pink gel food coloring.  Sprinkled both the Pink and Yellow frosted Cupcakes with pastel non-pariels and topped them with pink and yellow baby bracelet charms.  My girlfriend was thrilled and they tasted yummy!!!

Now my Friday baking with my niece was spent teaching her how to make Swiss Meringue Buttercream and my Lemon Meringue Cupcakes.  We had so much fun baking together.  She did an awesome job on the cupcakes and is now a real pro.  we used the Magnolia Vanilla Cupcake as the base for the Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  You can find the recipe for this Buttercream and a great video demo here.  I think they turned out beautiful and the Buttercream was divine!

Next we tackled the Lemon Meringue Cupcakes.  This is a multi step cupcake.  First you have to make the Lemon Curd for the filling, second bake the cupcakes, third fill the cupcakes with the Lemon Curd, fourth frost them with the meringue and then fifth toast the meringue.  You can find the recipe and instructions here.  I think they turned out beautiful.  I'm very proud of my niece and her cupcaking skills. All in all I baked 10 1/2 dozen cupcakes in two days.  Luckily I don't have to eat them all. 

A great way to spend a Birthday weekend...baking cupcakes to eat and share.  Happy Birthday to me!

Cupcakes Take the Cake featured my Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

I can barely contain my excitement, again.  My Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes were featured today on Cupcakes Take the Cake.  Click on the link to go to the mention.  I am really honored to have two of my cupcakes featured within two weeks.  I love sharing my recipes and inspiring other bakers to make amazing cupcakes!  Thanks again for the shout out!  

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes - Life is Good!!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies are a delicious treat in and of themselves.  Now, combine them with cupcakes and you have a treat that is chocolate chip heaven!  I have been searching for recipes for a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcake for months.  None that I found combined the taste of the cookie dough and the baked cookie.  Until this week...when I found this recipe over on Tara's Smells Like Home Blog.  These cupcakes are delicious.  Truly a Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cupcake. The flavors meld together beautifully.  The cake is full of chocolate chips and then the surprise of the cookie dough center topped with the delight of frosting tasting just like cookie dough too!  Don't be afraid of making these.  They look more labor intensive then they really are and the results will have your friends and family begging for more.  I took them into work today and my co-workers had them devoured in no time.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
By Tara from Smells Like Home

source: Annie’s Eats (inspired by Hello, Baker!, cake adapted from Cupcake Bakeshop, frosting adapted from The Cupcake Review and How to Eat a Cupcake)

For the cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

For the filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2½ tsp. vanilla extract

For decoration:
Mini chocolate chip cookies (I used Chips Ahoy Minis but you could make your own)
Mini chocolate chips

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total).  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar.  Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  Stir together to blend.  Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated.  Blend in the vanilla.  Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners.   Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cookie dough filling, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, about an hour.

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake.  Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy.  Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth.  Beat in the flour and salt.  Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

Frost the filled cupcakes as desired, sprinkling with mini chocolate chips and topping with mini chocolate chip cookies for decoration.

Yields: 24 cupcakes

S'mores Cupcakes - Goodbye to Summer

As much as I love summer, the warm weather and long nights, I love fall even more (mostly because I have a Birthday the end of September).  Last weekend was Labor Day and what many consider the end to summer. Even though it's official end isn't for a few more weeks.  To celebrate, I finally made a cupcake I have been wanting to make since I started to seriously bake cupcakes a year and a half ago...S'mores Cupcakes.  Who can resist the combination of Graham Crackers, Milk Chocolate and Marshmallow?  Not me.  So fire up the oven and enjoy your very own S'mores in cupcake form.

S’mores Cupcakes

Makes 16-18 regular cupcakes

Graham Cracker and Milk Chocolate Cupcakes

from Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers (about 20 grahams)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk

1 cup milk chocolate chips (I pulsed mine in the food processor to make them a lot smaller)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix flour, crushed graham crackers, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk and beat until batter is almost smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into cupcake papers, filling cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool.

Swiss Meringue Marshmallow Frosting

(NOT BUTTERCREAM)
by Cassie Baker of How to Eat a Cupcake

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (I used 3/4 cup regular sugar and 1/2 cup vanilla sugar

4 egg whites

1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)

To make the frosting:

Combine egg whites and sugar in the top of a double boiler (or a glass bowl over but not touching a pan of simmering water). Whisk constantly over medium-high heat until mixtures reaches 160°F, about 5 minutes.

Pour egg white mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high for 6 minutes or until room temperature. Add optional vanilla extract 1 teaspoon at a time until desired flavor.

Frost cooled cupcakes, sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs and top with a piece of Hershey's milk chocolate bar.

"Cupcakes Take the Cake" Featured My Lemon Ricotta Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

I can barely contain my excitement.  My Lemon Ricotta Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream were featured today on Cupcakes Take The Cake.  Click on the link to go to the mention.  It is such an honor to be recognized by the wonderful cupcake loving women of this blog.  Thanks for the shout out!  

Lemon Ricotta Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

Cream Soda Toffee Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I discovered this recipe last summer and had to make it right away.  I'm fascinated by the use of soda pop in baking recipes and this recipe didn't disappoint.  My sister loves anything toffee, caramel or butterscotch so I knew these would be an instant hit with her.  The original recipe called for using a brown butter frosting but I opted for Cream Cheese instead.  I love the creaminess of the cream cheese frosting with the crunch of the toffee bits.

I'm baking four dozen of these today for a girlfriend to take for a Birthday Celebration tomorrow.  She called to see if I would make cupcakes for her and of course I said yes.  Any excuse to bake cupcakes!  When I asked what flavor she wanted, she said the person celebrating the Birthday loved anything toffee, caramel or butterscotch.  I told her these cupcakes would perfectly fit the bill.  Enjoy and Happy Birthday!

Cream Soda Toffee Cupcakes
from Better Homes and Gardens
Makes 18 cupcakes.

Ingredients:
2  cups  all-purpose flour
1-1/2  tsp.  baking powder
1/2  tsp.  baking soda
1/2  cup  butter, softened
3/4  cup  granulated sugar
1/4  cup  packed brown sugar
3    eggs
1  Tbsp.  molasses
1-1/2  tsp.  vanilla
1/2  cup  buttermilk
1/2  cup  cream soda (not diet)
1/2  cup Heath toffee bits
   
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line eighteen 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.

In large bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high 30 seconds. Add sugars; beat until well combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, on low until combined. Beat in molasses and vanilla.

Alternately add flour mixture, buttermilk, and cream soda to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until combined. Stir in toffee pieces. Fill cups 3/4 full.

Bake about 18 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pans on racks 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 lb. cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 lb. unsalted butter, room temperature

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Dash of salt

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment whip the butter and cream cheese for 5 minutes.  Set a timer, do not under beat. Gradually add the powdered sugar to the mixture and scrape down the bowl as needed.  Add the vanilla and salt and mix until combined.  Pipe frosting onto cupcakes using a decorative tip and sprinkle with Heath Toffee Bits.

The frosting can be used right away or stored in the refrigerator up to a week.

As I mentioned, these are my sister's favorite cupcakes, so of course I had to make them for her Birthday last June.  She is a Costume Designer for a local theater, so I topped them with these custom Cupcake Toppers and delivered to her at work.

How to Frost a Cupcake with a Piping Tip

I absolutely love frosting.  All kinds of frosting.  In fact, to me, cupcakes are merely a frosting delivery service.  The more frosting on a cupcake the better in my opinion.  The question I probably get asked the most is,  "How do you get the frosting swirl on your cupcakes and what type of decorating tip do you use?"  It's no big secret.  My favorite piping tip is an Ateco #885.  

Ateco 885 Tip

It's a very large tip that I discovered at NY Cake and Decorating Distributors in New York City.  If you are in NYC and love cake decorating and baking supply stores this is a must stop.  This tip uses a large amount of frosting and gives your cupcakes a beautiful swirl.

Wilton M1 Tip

I also use the Wilton M1 tip.  It's a smaller tip but still gives a nice swirl and a lot of cupcake bakers use this tip.  It's available at most Michael's Craft Stores or any store that carries Wilton cake decorating supplies and tips.  It's also a part of the Wilton Cupcake Decorating Kit available at Walmart.

I always use a 16" decorating bag and large coupler with my tips when I frost cupcakes.  If you have never used a decorating bag don't be afraid to take the leap.  You can handle a lot of frosting in a decorating bag and won't have to continually refill the bag as you frost your cupcakes.  Here's a great little video to show you all you need to know about the various types of piping bags.

I was going to make a little video showing you how I do my frosting swirls but You Tube and the internet is full of videos showing all you need to know.  Jamie over at My Baking Addiction was kind enough to share the following video.

 Cupcake Piping How-To from My Baking Addiction on Vimeo.

Here are two more videos showing how to pipe cupcakes.  One with the M1 tip and the other showing four styles used in England to frost cupcakes.  There are plenty more videos on You Tube if you still want to see more demonstrations.  The best way to learn is by doing.  So grab yourself a piping bag and your favorite decorating tip and start practicing.

Enjoy your frosting!

Lemon Ricotta Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

As you may have figured out by now I love anything citrus.  Lemon is absolutely one of my most favorite flavors.  Pair it with raspberries and it's a sure winner.  I found this recipe surfing the web over on the Created by Diane blog.  Lemon, ricotta and raspberries...I knew I had to make these little beauties.  The cupcakes smelled divine while baking.  They are very dense and almost like a biscuit/muffin.  I tasted one right out of the oven and thought these need jam on them.  The raspberry buttercream adds that almost jam like flavor.  The combination of the cupcake and buttercream makes for a winner.

Lemon Ricotta Cupcakes
Created By Diane
Makes 24 cupcakes.

4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar (granulated sugar) place in food processor and make super fine
2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
2 sticks melted butter (cooled)
2 eggs
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tsp lemon extract
juice and zest from about 2 med lemons (4T juice, 2T zest)

Preheat oven 350 set rack in middle of oven

Sift together flour baking powder. Cream eggs and sugar for 2 minutes until pale. Add in melted butter, lemon juice, zest, ricotta, and extracts and finally the flour/baking powder mixture until well mixed on medium. The dough should be smooth and silky. Stop and scrape down the sides then mix on medium for 30 more seconds.

Fill cupcakes 3/4 full and bake 20-25 minutes until tops bounce back when pressed slightly and tester comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 min. Then remove to cooling rack.

Raspberry Buttercream

1 cup butter 
1 cup shortening
4-6 cups powdered sugar 
4T milk (if necessary)
1 cup raspberry pie filling (puree so it’s smooth before adding)
1 tsp Raspberry Extract
Dash of Salt

Cream butter and shortening together for 5 minutes.  Add Raspberry Pie Filling, Raspberry Extract and Salt. Gradually add powdered sugar and milk until you reach your desired piping consistency.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes with Pink Lemonade Buttercream

Nothing says summer to me more than lemonade, especially pink lemonade.  I have always loved the tartness of lemons and lemonade is the perfect combination of tartness and sweetness in a glass.  What a great flavor to put in a cupcake.  These turned out to have just the right tart / sweet combo I love.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
from Confections of a Foodie Bride

1 1/8 cup (9 oz) frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate, thawed*
White cake mix (yes, the boxed stuff)
3 egg whites
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

* For a less tart cupcake (and these babies do pack a punch), try reducing the amount of pink lemonade. 3/8 cup water and 3/4 cup pink lemonade will cut the tartness.

In a stand mixer, add the cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, and the pink lemonade concentrate. Mix on low for about 30 seconds and then increase to medium speed for 90 seconds (the batter will still be a bit lumpy; take care not to overmix so you don’t end up with dry cupcakes).

Spoon the batter into a lined muffin pan (fill the cups between 2/3 and 3/4 full). Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick registers done in the center cupcake. Remove the pan from the oven and cool 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes and cool completely on a baking rack.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, make the icing and ice the cupcakes.

Pink Lemonade Buttercream
3 cups + 3 Tbsp confectioners sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Red food color (to color icing and sugar, optional)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (optional)

Add the butter, confectioners sugar, salt, lemon juice, and food coloring (if using) to the stand mixer and mix on low using the paddle attachment until combined. Turn the speed to med-high until the icing is fluffy and uniformly pink. Add the icing to a pastry bag fitted with your favorite tip and ice the cupcakes.

Optional – Add the sugar and a couple drops of the food coloring to a food processor. Process until the sugar turns pink. Spread the sugar onto a plate and let dry for 15 minutes. Sprinkle onto freshly-iced cupcakes.

Source: Adapted from Wilton

Zucchini Spice Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

As summer comes to a close in Utah, backyard gardens are full of summers bounty.  It seems like every home gardener plants at least one zucchini plant.  And as we all know, one plant yields plenty of zucchinis.  It seems every where you turn family, friends and neighbors are begging you to take some zucchini off their hands.  I've never been a fan of zucchini until I found this wonderful recipe for Zucchini Spice Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting.  The contrast of the spice in the cake and sweetness of the caramel frosting is a perfect combination.

Zucchini Spice Cupcakes with Carmel Frosting

from Taste of Home Magazine

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F
Makes 18 to 24 cupcakes
  
Ingredients
3 eggs
1-1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon almond extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1-1/2 cups shredded zucchini

CARAMEL FROSTING:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 to 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil, orange juice and extract. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to egg mixture and mix well. Stir in zucchini.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

For frosting, combine the brown sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cool to lukewarm.

Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until frosting reaches spreading consistency. (You may need to add more confectioners' sugar to reach desired consistency.)  Frost cupcakes. Yield: 1-1/2 to 2 dozen.

Enjoy summer's bounty and make these cupcakes!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream

White Chocolate Chips

I have to admit that I am a big fan of white chocolate.  I know it's technically not chocolate but I love the smooth creamy flavor.  Especially mixed with nuts.  When I lived in New York City, there was a wonderful little candy shop in the West Village on Christopher Street that sold bars of white chocolate studded with cashews.  I would make a special trip there every couple of weeks to indulge my sweet tooth.  Then Mrs. Field's came out with the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie and I was hooked.  

Macadamia Nuts

When I started baking cupcakes I knew this was a combination I had to have in a cupcake.  I think I have found the perfect combination of cupcake and buttercream.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  It's in my top ten of favorite cupcakes.  I have to eat one right out of the oven and then one right after I frost them.  I have to use all my will power not to eat the entire batch right then and there.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cupcakes

from 125 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Makes 24 Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 cup white chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, mix together flour, macadamia nuts, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil and eggs until smooth.  Alternately beat in flour mixture and milk, making three additions of flour mixture and two of milk, beating just until smooth.  Stir in white chocolate chips.

Scoop batter into prepared pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 24 minutes or until golden brown and tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.  Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.  Top cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream and garnish with chopped Macadamia Nuts.

White Chocolate Buttercream

adapted from Billy's Chocolate Buttercream
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. (4 sticks) butter
12 ounces white chocolate chips
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Cream (with hand or stand mixer)  butter until light and fluffy for5 minutes (do not under beat - use a timer)

Melt (in microwave or double boiler):  12 ounces white chocolate chips

Set aside and allow to cool for approximately 20 minutes. Make sure chocolate is cool to the touch, you don’t want it to melt your butter.  After chocolate has cooled, add it to the creamed butter and mix on low speed until just combined. Scrape sides of bowl then …

Add:
2-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

On low speed of a hand or stand mixer, mix until fully incorporated; no confectioners' sugar should be visible. Mixture should be smooth and fluffy.

Do not refrigerate; use immediately or store in airtight container for up to 2 days.

Enjoy!