Smiling Cupcakes...

***I have, upon request, deleted this portion of this post.***The cupcakes are delicious.

Smiling Cupcakes with Hard Chocolate Center

(Pound Cake adapted from Paula Deen)

¾ pound butter, room temperature
3 cups sugar
5 eggs, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk (I use skim)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F)

Cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar slowly to the butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

In separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Add alternately with milk to butter mixture, a little at a time.

Mix in vanilla.

In saucepan, melt dark chocolate chips to smooth consistency. Set aside.

Spoon a tablespoon of cupcake batter into paper cupcake liners already placed in cupcake tins. Spoon a tablespoon of warm chocolate on top of the cake batter and spread slightly over batter.

Fill remainder of cup with cake batter. Spinkle the top with some unmelted dark chocolate chips.

Bake for about 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven. You’ll only be able to test your batter with a toothpick up to the chocolate center, but, since the center is actually lower than the cupcake’s middle, you can insert a toothpick pretty far into the cupcake. They’re ready when the toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the cupcakes from the tins as soon as they are barely cool enough to handle. (Leaving them in the tins will make the bottoms soggy.)

Frost and decorate, or eat them as they are. Delicious either way.