I call these Tarheel Cupcakes, but they’re made from a Joy of Cooking recipe, with seven-minute frosting (also from JOC). For more, visit www.shallwechat.blogspot.com.
Devil’s Food Cake Cockaigne (10 to 12 servings)
All New-All Purpose Joy of Cooking (Buy this cookbook!)

*Have all ingredients at room temperature, 68* to 75*F.
*Preheat the oven to 350*.
*Grease and flour one 9-inch tube pan or two 9 x 2 inch
round pans or line the bottoms of the round pans with wax
or parchment paper.

Whisk together:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened nonalkalized cocoa
1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt (I used buttermilk.)

Sift together:
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine:
1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla

1) In a large bowl, beat until creamy, about 30 seconds:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

2) Gradually add and beat on high speed until lightened
in color and texture, about 3 to 5 minutes:
1 cup sugar

3) Beat in 1 at a time:
2 large eggs

4) Beat in the cocoa mixture. Add the flour mixure in 3 parts,
alternating with the buttermilk mixture in two parts, beating
on low speed or stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth and
scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. scrape the batter
into the pans (cupcake liners, 2/3 full). Bake until toothpick
inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes in
round pan (mine took 20 minutes for a 12 mini-cupcake
pan), 45 to 55 minutes in a tube pan. Slide a thin knife around
the cake to detach it from the pan. Invert the cake and peel off
the paper liners, if using. Let cool right side up on the rack.

Seven-Minute Frosting (About 4 cups – I used almost every bit.)
All New-All Purpose Joy of Cooking

*JOC recommends using stainless steel bowl because crockery
and glass are so slow to heat that the top of the meringue cools
down before it is adequately heated. Also, be sure to rinse the
stem of the thermometer in the simmering skillet water between
readings to avoid contaminating the egg whites. Have the egg
whites at room temperature, 68* to 75*F.

Whisk together:
5 Tablespoons water
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1-1/3 cups sugar
2 large egg whites
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

1) Set the bowl in a wide, deep skillet filled with about 1 inch
of simmering water. Make sure the water level is at least as
high as the depth of the egg white in the bowl. Beat the egg
whites on low speed until the mixture reaches 140* on an
instant-read thermometer. Do not stop beating while the bowl
is in the skillet. If you cannot hold the thermometer stem in
the egg whites while continuing to beat (I couldn’t), remove
the bowl from the skillet just to read the thermometer, then
return the bowl to the skillet. Beat on high speed for exactly
5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the skillet and add:
1 tsp. vanilla

2) Beat on high for 2 to 3 more minutes to cool. Stir in
(optional):
1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped nuts or shredded sweetened
dried coconut

Use the day it is made.