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• Oct. 18th is National Chocolate Cupcake Day

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• An Egg-ceptional Day

Dust off your once-used, I-wanted-to-start-baking-this-year-but-never-had-time cupcake pans and invest in some baking chocolate — or just head to a local bakery: Oct. 18 celebrates National Chocolate Cupcake Day.

After discovering that Sunday launches two months of cupcake festivities — National Vanilla Cupcake Day is Nov. 10; National Lemon Cupcake Day is Dec. 15 — we found ourselves asking some tough questions: Why does chocolate lead the celebration? And more importantly, what makes a cupcake different from a muffin? Why chocolate? First and foremost, chocolate boosts your love life. Well, maybe. The Aztecs discovered a link between cocoa and sexual arousal. One emperor supposedly consumed some before heading to the bedroom, according to the New York Times. Modern science even supports this — sort of. Chocolate, scientists found, contains chemicals related to feelings of sexuality and love. Unfortunately, they are not abundant enough to reveal a strong cause-and-effect relationship. But wait, there’s more: the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego found that “chocolate contains pharmacologically active substances that have the same effect on the brain as marijuana.” In other words, certain chemicals in chocolate act like THC — the main chemical in marijuana — by causing the brain to produce more dopamine, which extends feelings of well-being, according to faculty.washington.edu.(Sidenote: Chocolate does not actually contain THC and therefore cannot get you high, no matter how much you devour.) Add caffeine to its list of ingredients, and it is no wonder chocolate is so addicting.

Cupcakes vs. muffins: What’s the difference?

A New York Times reporter once furthered this inquiry to a pastry chef who answered, “Nothing ... Muffins are just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast.” If you insist. However, CakeSpy.com investigated further and found that a cupcake’s batter is smoother, while a muffin’s includes significantly more flour. After baking apple spice cupcakes and muffins side to side and performing extensive taste tests, the writers concluded that cupcakes are “finer-crumbed” and consistently frosted, while muffins are heartier and often included “healthier” ingredients. “Ultimately, it’s the cupcake that is first and foremost in our hearts,” they write. We have to add — paired with chocolate, this is awinning combination. As Marie-Antoinette said, “Let them eat [a chocolate cup]cake.”

Chocolate Cupcake Recipe, courtesy of cupcakerecipes.com

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup water

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 ounces melted unsweetened baking chocolate

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine all ingredients into large mixing bowl. Mix at low speed for 30 seconds, and scrape bowl. Mix at high speed for 3 minutes. Fill liners 1/2 to 2/3 full of batter. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans then remove from pan, and place on wire racks to cool completely. Frost when chocolate cupcakes are completely cool.