Buttermilk is an ingredient I don't usually have around the house. Since I bought some to make buttermilk cupcakes not too long ago and had a lot left over, I was glad to find this recipe so I could use more of it. I didn't taste the buttermilk because it smells sour. In consistency, it's a lot like a very wet plain yogurt.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes
From Eeek! I Forgot to Write it Down!

• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare the muffin pans with nonstick spray and flour or paper cups.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the cocoa and sugar and mix until thoroughly blended.
• Add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla and beat until smooth.
• Pour or spoon the batter into the pans, filling at least halfway. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cakes test done.
• Remove the pans and turn out the cupcakes onto a wire rack to cool.

About this recipe: another ultra simple recipe for cupcakes. This particular recipe might appeal to some because there are no eggs in it.

I followed the instructions to just dump all of the wet ingredients into the dry and mix. My batter was very dry and I was dismayed when it really was more like wet sand at the beginning than like cake batter. I poured a little more buttermilk in to loosen it up which worked like a charm. I probably only added another tablespoon or two, but I didn't measure. In any case, the batter was very thick and fudge-like. Spooning it into the muffin cups took a steady hand, slow work, and a lot of patience so that I didn't get it everywhere but inside the muffin cups.

I baked my muffins on the lower side of 15 minutes and they were done (pictured are the mini-cupcakes I made that baked for 10 minutes). The tops rose a lot--in fact these are probably the fluffiest muffin caps I've ever seen. The cupcakes remind me of button mushrooms.

The result: C-. A dryish, uninspired chocolate cake. It's quite flat in terms of flavor and the texture and consistency is mealy and not a very nice experience on the tongue. Ah well, that can't be all good. Definitely one to skip, I'm afraid.