I held her little hand in mine while we snuggled together on the couch for an afternoon nap. I looked up at her sweet face and remembered the many other naps we’ve had together in the eight short years since she was born.

Her birth was peaceful and calm, and she came quietly into the darkness of the early morning. Her name means “sunrise,” and the sky was a blaze of pink and gold when the sun came up on her first day. She is the only one of our children to inherit my father’s green eyes, and the lucky ducky seems to have inherited our mother’s height, but her face and personality are turning out to be very much like mine. We knew from the first time she stomped one tiny 2-year-old foot to announce her displeasure, that she would be just like me.

She loves animals, music and everything pink and sparkly. She is a nurturer, a worrier and an empathetic friend. She loves to paint, like her mother, and decorates and beautifies her spaces wherever she goes. She also has spent a lot of her life as my sous chef in the kitchen, bringing me ingredients and “stirring” batter and artfully plating our meals with her signature flair. She was a quiet newborn but has never been quiet since. She sings and laughs loudly, shares her opinions freely, and always lets her voice be heard.

We traveled up to the valley to attend her birthday party this past weekend. When I asked her what flavor cupcakes she would like she said, “chocolate, chocolate, chocolate … with pink frosting and pink sprinkles.” Lucky for my little girl, her Auntie knows a recipe that would satisfy even the most hardcore chocoholic.

These cupcakes are dense, more like brownies than traditional cupcakes, and are chock full of chocolate.

Double Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients for a dozen:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

½ cup vegetable oil (or melted and cooled coconut oil)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup milk

½ cup hot water

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup cocoa powder

½ cup milk chocolate chips

¼ cup dark chocolate chunks

Directions:

Line your muffin tin with pink liners and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the milk chocolate chips in a double boiler or just in the microwave. Make sure they’re fully melted and allow to cool while you prepare the batter.

Whisk together the sugar and oil.

Beat in the egg.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

Combine the milk, hot water and vanilla extract.

Add the wet and dry ingredients to the sugar and oil in two stages, starting with the dry ingredients.

When the batter is smooth, fold in the melted milk chocolate and the dark chocolate chunks.

Dish the batter out into the cupcake liners, filling about ¾ to the top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway, until the tops are firm.

Let them cool completely before decorating.

I used a white chocolate cream cheese frosting for hers, but chocolate buttercream would also be an excellent choice.

Store refrigerated for up to a week.