Double Chocolate "Football" Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of The Baker Chick.

Ingredients:
Cupcakes
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting
8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 cups confectioners' sugar
16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 Tbs. milk, plus more, if needed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside.

Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

For the Frosting: Have all the ingredients at room temperature. Put the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler set over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl combine the confectioners' sugar, butter, the 6 Tbs. milk, the vanilla and salt and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then reduce the speed to low.

Reserve about a 1/2 cup of the frosting at this point to make the laces.

Add the chocolate gradually and beat until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute more. If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks.

To Decorate: Using a small star tip in a pastry bag, zig-zag the chocolate frosting in a diamond shape on the cooled cupcakes. Then put the reserved vanilla frosting into a bag with a small round tip and pipe on the laces.