Chocolate Malt Cupcakes

Any girl can tell you that the relationship with their Father is a special one, we never truly stop being "Daddy's Little Girl" no matter how much time passes. My Father and I are no exception, I am practically a son to him as well as a daughter. We both enjoy off color humor, military history, and on many a weekend you can find us solving the world's problems from the comfort of the living room couch. Despite all of the similarities that we share, one of our true loves is chocolate. As Father's Day approached I had planned on making him a classic butter cupcakes with chocolate frosting, a timeless favorite. But I am never one to go the plain route, these cupcakes needed something to set it apart, to be just as special as my Dad. Few things can enhance the flavor of chocolate without totally masking the rich flavor, Whoppers came to mind. Those perfect little malted milk balls covered in chocolate are one of my Dad's favorite treats, and it would give the cupcakes just the touch they needed. At first I had all sorts of plans for elaborate decorations and complicated recipes, but I thought why not keep it simple. Use the time it would take me to make crazy-hard cupcakes and just spend it with my old man? We spent the weekend killing Nazis and liberating Europe alongside Gen. Patton and eating more than our share of the cupcakes. These cakes were a simple reminder that sometimes you need to appreciate the little things in life and cherish the time spent with your Dad quoting movie lines and discussing the difference in world politics between 1940 and 2014.

Chocolate Malt Cupcakes

• 1 Box of Yellow Cake Mix (Hey, I was spending time with Dad, not destroying the kitchen)
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 bag powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup malted milk powder
• 5 - 8 tbsp. milk
• 1 Box of Whoppers, for decoration

Preheat the oven according to the temperature on the boxed cake mix, and prepare as instructed. After the cupcakes have cooled sufficiently you can whip up the frosting. Cream together the butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth. In a separate bowl mix together the powdered sugar, cocoa, and malted milk powder. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk one tablespoon at a time to the butter mixture until it reaches the desired consistency. Pipe the frosting using a 'big star' tip onto the cooled cupcakes and top with a Whopper. Now sit back and watch them all disappear!