Bruschetta and Eggplant

Valentine’s Day is less than a month away and if you’re looking for an impressive dessert, these cupcakes are exactly what you need.

I originally posted the recipe for these chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes back in 2016. But I’ve revamped the recipe with a lighter chocolate cupcake and an even better strawberry frosting. These cupcakes are chocolatey, the frosting is full of strawberry flavor and naturally colored thanks to a secret ingredient, and they’re all topped with a chocolate covered strawberry.

If you’ve ever been intimidated when it comes to making beautiful cupcakes, don’t worry, I’m sharing tons of information on how to make these look absolutely perfect!

To assemble these cupcakes you’ll need to make three different components: chocolate cupcakes, strawberry frosting, and chocolate covered strawberries. Let’s break down each one.

The great thing about the chocolate cupcake batter is that you can mix it all together in one bowl. You’ll start by whisking in your dry ingredients:

As the cupcakes are cooling you can prepare the strawberry buttercream frosting. If you’ve never prepared buttercream before I have an easy tutorial on how to make it here.

In the original recipe that I posted, I used strawberry jam, but I find that it really makes the frosting thinner and doesn’t hold up as well with the strawberries on top. The solution? Freeze-dried strawberries! They add tons of strawberry flavor to the frosting and add that beautiful pink color so you don’t even have to add food coloring.

You can typically find freeze-dried strawberries near the fruit or by the dried fruit at the grocery store. Just make sure to blend them up really well until they’re powdery before adding them to the frosting.

INGREDIENTS
Chocolate Cupcakes:

• 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (32 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar lightly packed
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) canola or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) boiling water
• 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:

• 1 cup (230 grams) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 3 cups (360 grams) powdered sugar
• 1 (1-ounce) bag freeze-dried strawberries
• 2-3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Covered Strawberries:

• 16 medium sized strawberries
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped

INSTRUCTIONS
To make the chocolate cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two 12-count muffin pans with 16 cupcake liners and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk in the brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined. Then whisk in the oil, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract and mix until just combined.
3. ..................................................

for full recipes please see : www.livewellbakeoften.com