They are absolutely the perfect treat. I might even be a little obsessed. I am constantly pitching food editors stories about cupcakes, just so I have an excuse to sample more. (I think they're on to me now.) I take my friend Carrie's three-year-old daughter, Caitlin, out for cupcakes—claiming it's because she loves them so much. (She does love them—after her first bite of a lemon cupcake on our last date, she looked up at me with a huge grin and exclaimed, "This is delicious!") While planning my wedding, the part I was most excited about (aside from marrying Will) was the cupcakes we decided to serve instead of a big wedding cake. There were three kinds, including a chocolate cupcake—sprinkled with fleur de sel, of course. MAKES 12 TO 14 CUPCAKES 1 cup all-purpose flour ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 tablespoons canola oil ⅓ cup water 1 large egg ¼ cup buttermilk 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract Fleur de sel Snappy Butterscotch Icing ([>]) Preheat the oven to 350°F.
