My Anti-Aging Secret? Nutella.

Happy birthday to me!

I have my mom to thank for my healthy and happy attitude toward birthdays. I have a few friends who see birthdays as the harbinger of death and more age-related misery, which is just not how I see it. Growing up every minor holiday was an excuse to celebrate and usually those celebrations involved cake. What's not to like? Add presents to the mix and you have the recipe for a perfect day.

What better way to celebrate my 29th birthday than with lots and lots of Nutella? While my official birthday cake will arrive here from Virginia along with my little brother and mom later today, I need a little treat to kick off my big day. I believe in starting the celebrating as early as possible so my breakfast today will be these chocolate chunk cupcakes topped with Nutella buttercream and a Ferrero Rocher candy. If I have to age a year to treat myself to goodies like these then I'm ok with that.

I should point out that the cake portion is actually from a muffin recipe, so there isn't that fluffy cake texture. Instead it's a little more dense and crumbly like a muffin. Still delicious, though. And the frosting is to die for. I could (and have) eat it with a spoon all by itself.

By the by, am I the only one who bakes profusely but refuses to make my own birthday cake? For some reason it doesn't feel like a special enough treat unless someone else has made it, preferably a professional with skills when it comes to decorating.

Double Chocolate Chunk Cupcakes
Recipe from Crepes of Wrath

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line and/or spray 15 wells in a regular-size muffin tin.

2. Melt the butter and half the chopped chocolate together in a greased saucepan or a double boiler; or do this in a microwave (very carefully in 30 second intervals). Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract together until well combined, then add in the chocolate and butter mixture. Mix in the flour mixture until just moistened. Don’t worry about being thorough — a few lumps are better than overmixing the batter. Fold in the remaining chopped chocolate.

4. Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin tin.

5. Bake for 17-23 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold. Makes about 15 cupcakes.

Nutella Buttercream
Recipe from French for Cupcake

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1 cup nutella
8 ounces powdered sugar
2 tablespoons (ish) of milk or cream

1. Cream together the butter and Nutella until blended.

2. Add the powdered sugar gradually until ingredients are combined.

3. Mix on high speed, adding cream until frosting is smooth and creamy.

4. Pipe onto cupcakes and top each with an unwrapped Ferrero Rocher.