Hello Cupcake

I am a sucker for cooking magazines.  I have spent a gazillion dollars by tossing them into the shopping cart as I wait in line to pay for my groceries.
The Handyman and I even had a  'discussion' once about them.  I threw one in the cart, we paid, we went out to our car.  He asked if I knew how much it cost---I did not.  I just toss them in without looking.  And then, later, when I looked, I thought  HOLY COW,  they're expensive, I should cut back.
But have I?  Um....yeah, maybe not so much.  It's a harmless hobby really.  Right?
If I hadn't thrown this special edition of Better Homes and Gardens into my cart, I couldn't have made these yummy cupcakes and the Handyman couldn't have enjoyed them as much as he did.

That's  called justification.

They were a fun cupcake and really easy.  They were trying to a little more zing to a plain white cupcake, but dipping the tops into some chocolate liqueur.  Only I didn't have any, and I couldn't find any at the one market I went to. So, I just dipped them into Kahlua with Hershey's chocolate syrup mixed into--to make a mocha flavor.  It was really good.
One day I might make them as the recipe directs, but I'm sticking this version into my 'keeper' file for now.

Plain Jane Lets Loose Cupcake
from Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications
Mixing Bowl  2012

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 T vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate liqueur
1/2 cup butter softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 T whipping cream
1 16oz box powdered sugar
fresh raspberries or blackberries

(1)  Preheat oven to 325 F.  Line eighteen  muffin cups with paper liners.

(2) In a large bowl, beat  1/2 cup butter, granulated sugar, and oil with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until combined.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

(3) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt

(4) Add half the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, and blend well.  Add 1/4 cup of the sour cream and  blend well. Add rest of dry ingredients, blend.  Add remaining sour cream and  1 1/2 tsp vanilla.  Blend.

(5)  Fill lined cupcake pans, 2/3 full and bake for  20 minutes.

(6) Cool cupcakes in the cups for  5 minutes on a wire rack before removing from pan.  Cool cupcakes completely on wire racks.  Pour  1/4  cup chocolate liqueur in a shallow bowl.  Dip tops of cupcakes into the liqueur. 
Makes  18 cupcakes.

(7)  For frosting:  In a bow, beat 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup chocolate liqueur,  1 1/2 tsp vanilla and whipping cream with an electric mixer on med speed.  Beat in powdered sugar until combined. 
Frost cupcakes and top each with a raspberry or blackberry.

**I did not have chocolate liqueur, so I used  coffee flavored liqueur with some chocolate syrup mixed in.  It had a mocha flavor.