Valentine's Vanilla Cupcakes with Creamy Fudge Icing

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Whether you're spending it with a special someone or not, baking is extra fun because you get to cover everything in hearts! And on the 15th you'll be able to go out and buy chocolates at crazy low prices, which I think is always a bonus no matter what holiday it is.

For these cupcakes I had planned to make my own chocolate icing, but for the sake of time/money/number of dishes I went with some delicious store bought icing instead. Even though I took it out of the fridge a long time before to let it warm to room temperature it wasn't quite soft enough to spread, so I melted it in a bowl over a pot of boiling water just enough for it to be spreadable without tearing the cupcakes.

The cupcakes themselves were very basic. This is all you need:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup softened (not melted) butter
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Stir together the dry ingredients first, then add in the wet ingredients slowly, stirring constantly. This works best if mixing with a whisk. Stir until smooth; you can use a mixer if you prefer but it was easy enough for me to do by hand. Spoon the mixture (I used a 1/3 cup measure to do this as it was the perfect amount) into muffin cups, either greased or paper-lined, about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, between 15 and 20 minutes. Cupcakes will feel slightly firm to the touch. Let cool completely before icing; I placed them in the freezer for 5 minutes while warming the icing. Once frosted you can continue to decorate however you want.

For the cute little red hearts, I used a candy writer that tastes like chocolate, which I found at a cake supplies store around Christmas to make candy cane chocolate. I drew the hearts on a sheet of wax paper and left them to harden on the counter while the cupcakes were in the oven. Make sure the icing is at least as cool as room temperature before putting the hearts on top, though, otherwise they'll melt!