Brown Sugar Pound Cupcakes with Fluffy Chocolate Almond Buttercream Frosting

Sometimes, I wake up thinking how great it would be to wake up as Martha Stewart.

Then I remember that I don't want to go to jail, so I just go browse her website and live the good part of Martha's life. 

By baking her marvelous creations, like these amazing Brown-Sugar Pound Cupcakes.  I don't care what anyone says, Martha is a homemaking genius, and if you don't believe me, you should make these cupcakes.

I completely forgot I hadn't posted these, but I made them for a Halloween party and they were a major hit.  The cupcakes were super moist and dense, and I added an airy, fluffy chocolate almond buttercream frosting that was to die for.  The hint of brown sugar in the pound cakes really set the whole cupcake off.  These are so awesome... try them.  

Brown Sugar Pound Cupcakes with Fluffy Chocolate Almond Buttercream Frosting

Martha Stewart and Food.com

Ingredients:
Cupcake:

• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened (you can use margarine but the flavor will not be the same)
• 2 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar , sifted
• 1/3 cup half-and-half cream (can use unwhipped whipping cream in place of half and half) or 1/3 cup milk (can use unwhipped whipping cream in place of half and half)

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder , sifted
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
2. Reduce speed to low. Mix in buttermilk. 
3. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.
4. Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.
5. When cool, make the frosting.
6. Cream the butter in a small bowl.
7. Blend in the cocoa powder, almond extract, confectioners sugar, alternately with the cream. 
8. Beat with an electric mixer, until the desired texture is achieved.
9. Frost cupcakes.