22 to 24 cupcakes

Hands on: 20 minutes

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Total time: 1 hour

These cupcakes are best served the day they are made, when the malted milk ball garnish is crunchy. If you must hold them for longer storage, place the garnish on the cupcakes just before serving. Crush malted milk balls by placing them in a sturdy plastic bag and pounding the bag with a wooden rolling pin or mallet. Store these cupcakes in a cake saver or under a glass dome at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them ungarnished, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

For the cupcakes:

24 paper liners for cupcake pans

1 (18.25-ounce) package plain yellow cake mix

1 (3.8-ounce) box instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup milk chocolate chips

For the malted milk buttercream:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

5 tablespoons malted milk powder or Ovaltine

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

40 malted milk balls, coarsely crushed, for garnish

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

To prepare the cupcake batter: Place cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, oil, water, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, until the ingredients are well-blended, then stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again, if needed. The batter should look smooth and thickened. Fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are well distributed throughout the batter. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it 3/4 of the way full. Remove the empty liners, if any.

Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes.

Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

To prepare the malted milk buttercream: Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the confectioners' sugar, malted milk powder, milk and vanilla. Blend on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more.

Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread it out with a short metal spatula or spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. Garnish with crushed malted milk balls.

Per cupcake with frosting, based on 22: 434 calories (percent of calories from fat, 38), 4 grams protein, 65 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 19 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 53 milligrams cholesterol, 354 milligrams sodium.