So, it’s your friend’s birthday. You want to do something nice for them, right? But you’re a college student, so naturally, you’re broke. Fear not! With Butts A Baking, we’ll show you how to make easy, dorm-friendly treats for your friends (and for yourself). With Valentine’s Day coming up, there is no better time to get your bake on.

Here’s the idea:

• Minimal cookware, so you don’t have to post in WesAdmits begging others to lend you stuff
• Ingredients that you can find easily at Weshop
• Quick methods so you can get back to lab work, reading, rehearsal, dance class, the gym, or any other activity overachiever Wes students can think of

This week, I wanted to share my favorite recipe for chocolate cupcakes. Since discovering this recipe, I have made it for every bake sale, school fundraiser, and friend’s birthday. They’re pretty foolproof, and will leave you and your friends satisfied. And, for all you Veg Out members, they’re vegan, too!

I have been making these cupcakes since sixth grade (seven years of my life!). However, sometimes I have not been as kind to them as they have been to me. You see, my high school sits on top of a hill. And, on the day of a big charity event at school, I attempted to transport my batch of killer cupcakes from my car to the classroom. Fate, however, had other plans for me. On the steep trek, I dropped 20 cupcakes on the ground. Twenty. Cupcakes. I’m a one-trip kind of a gal, but my own hubris got me back. Don’t repeat my mistake. However, because of this unfortunate tale, I have decided to call this recipe Mae’s Drop-Dead-Delicious Cupcakes. I hope you enjoy! (And maybe don’t try to carry a double batch of these up Foss. Let my misfortune be a lesson.)

What you’ll need:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vinegar

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350˚.

2. Throw all the ingredients into a bowl and mix! I recommend a whisk, but a fork borrowed from Usdan will work just fine.

3. Spoon the mixture into 12 cupcake papers. (They sell them at Weshop, don’t worry.) If you have an ice cream scoop, I have found that that is the best way by far to make your cupcakes even and to avoid a mess. However, using two spoons (one to spoon the batter and one to scrape the batter into the tin) will work quite nicely as well.

4. Pop your cupcakes into the oven for 25 minutes.

5. Take them out and poke them with a fork. If the fork comes out clean, they are done! If it comes out gooey, put the cupcakes back in for 3-5 minutes.

6. Once your cupcakes have baked all the way, let them cool and enjoy!

Some frosting tips:

If you’re not vegan or vegetarian, grab a package of large marshmallows from the store. In the last 5 minutes of baking your cupcakes, pop a marshmallow on top of each one. Let it melt a little, and smooth it out with a spoon. Boom! Frosted!

If you are one of my vegan friends, switch out the milk and butter in any basic buttercream recipe for almond or soy milk and earth balance. Veganized!

Pro tip: DO NOT frost your cupcakes before they are entirely cooled. If they feel even a little bit warm, don’t frost them yet! Butter, whether dairy or vegan, is designed to melt! So butter-based frostings will melt and get very gross and unappealing, thus ruining your hard work. I speak from experience. The lesson from this Butts A Baking: Learn from my mistakes!

That’s all, folks! If you try this recipe, tweet a photo to @WesleyanArgus or @Maejunejuly21. Happy baking!

Mae Davies can be reached at mdavies@wesleyan.edu or on Twitter @maejunejuly21.