Why do small things taste better than bigger ones? Case in point: cupcakes baked in a nonstick mini muffin pan are much more fun to eat than standard-size ones. Plus, the tiny cupcakes bake in 1/2 the time, require less icing, and two (or three) are the perfect size for a brown-bag dessert.
The mini cupcake batter is a tad thicker than a layer cake. Rather than using milk or buttermilk, I substituted 0% Fage yogurt and a tablespoon of water. Such a substitution doesn’t cut much fat out of a recipe that begins with a stick of butter—rather, the yogurt provides a tangy counterpoint to bittersweet chocolate. Plus, I rarely ever have buttermilk on hand and always have some form of yogurt. The baked cupcake is dense, moist, and deeply chocolate thanks to a combination of melted bittersweet bits and cocoa powder.
The icing is a simple combination of melted chocolate, a touch of powdered sugar, and just a few bits of butter to make the mixture spreadable.
Over a couple of days, the icing will go a little grainy. Then again, I can’t imagine these tiny cakes lasting more than a few days at my house. Next time, I’ll pipe a little filling into each one, or maybe top ’em with raspberry jam instead of frosting.
Bouillie 
recipe please
1 cup AP flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)
1 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup yogurt (plus 2-3 tablespoons water, if the yogurt is thick or drained)
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
Heat oven to 350. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cream butter & sugar, then add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla; beat 1 minute more. Add half the dry ingredients, mixing only until combined, then mix in the yogurt (and water if needed). Stir in the remaining dry ingredients just until blended. Add the melted chocolate and stir with a spatula or spoon until mixed evenly. Spoon batter into nonstick mini muffin tins; bake for 10-12 minutes until the cakes pass the toothpick test.
NB. I used Fage drained greek yogurt, and it resulted in a thick batter, so I had to stir in several tablespoons of water to get a cake-batter consistency. Non-drained yogurt probably won’t need additional water. Also, my mini muffin tins hold approx 2 teaspoons of batter each–a teaspoon cookie scoop is perfect for filling the tins. IIRC, the recipe made approx. 30 little cakes.
Thanks. I’m surrounded by chocoholics so i will be making these. I don’t care for the Fage yogurt. I prefer the Oikos brand. Our grandkids love muffins, particularly chocolate. Thanks.
Oh, it is definitely a cupcake….not muffinlike at all. Greenspan’s original recipe calls for buttermilk.