Chocolate Cupcakes - Moist and Delicious

I am working really hard to become a mediocre baker.  I am not even aiming for to be a great baker, because that is reaching far beyond the stars, but just one that can pass by from time to time.  Not exaggerating, but 8 out of 10 times, I would fail at baking something.  The end product would be too hard, too watery, or just too disgusting to eat.  I would stare at the pile of baked goods sitting in my trash can with sadness and wonder where did it all go wrong?! 

Lately, I have been failing more than succeeding.  I recall about a month ago, I was trying out a new muffin recipe, after making multiple delicious batches of other types of muffins, and I failed horribly.  Giving this some thought, I came to the conclusion that I am too ambitious about baking.  For savory dishes, I would typically look at the ingredients and how long it would take to make it.  If everything works out, then I would attempt to make the dish.  I took the same approach with baking.  Most of the ingredients are easy to find - flour, baking soda, baking powder, milk, oil, etc. - and it only takes a few minutes to incorporate everything together.  But what I forget are the skills and techniques that go into every batter.  Beat, stir, fold... I may think I know what they mean, but I most likely do not perform them correctly!  My goal now is to start small, tiny baby steps, with baking.  No more ambitious recipes or complicated techniques.  I hope my husband has the appetite because more are coming!

Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
from Simply Recipes

The results?

Chocolate cupcake: easy to make, moist and delicious, just as promised.  I opted to cut out some sugar, from 1 cup to 3/4 cup.

Chocolate frosting: major FAIL.  I think where I went wrong was that I wanted to cut the recipe in half, and I did that with everything, except for the cocoa (old brain, forgot).  It ended up making the mixture really thick, which I tried to compensate by adding the other half of the butter and putting it back on the stove for melting, and this became a downward slope towards frosting failure.  Another strike added to my record.  Instead, I sprinkled powder sugar and placed a piece of strawberry on top.  It's healthier, right?