These Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cupcakes are SO delicious, unique and guaranteed to impress whomever you serve them to! With a moist chocolate cake base, a real strawberry buttercream frosting and a fresh chocolate-covered strawberry on top!
Hi everyone, and Happy New Year! Did ya miss me?
I can’t believe we’re in the Roaring 20’s again. How exciting, right? I always love the promise of a new year, let alone a brand new decade, even if I don’t believe in making resolutions. I just have such a guilty conscience naturally that setting and inevitably failing my resolutions always makes me feel bad forever, and life’s too short to feel like crap!
This month is exciting for several reasons, one of which is my birthday! I will be turning 29 and I am going to be celebrating on a magical vacation ? I can’t wait! I also love that the stores put out their Valentine’s Day stuff, because second only to Christmas, Valentine’s Day decorations are my next favorite! Who can’t resist hearts and vintage Valentines?!
So the start of Valentine’s season got me thinking of some delicious treats to make your sweetie, and these Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cupcakes definitely made the list!
I can’t think of a single food more Valentine’s-y than chocolate-covered strawberries, so I knew I had to make something with the most romantic fruit ever! The result are these beautiful cupcakes that are sure to please everyone.
The cupcakes start with a chocolate cupcake base made simple with doctored up cake mix! I love using cake mix for my cupcake recipes because it’s consistent, it can be doctored up to taste homemade, and when there are a lot of other components going on, it’s just an easy and fast shortcut. Of course, you can totally make your own scratch-made chocolate cupcake base if you’d like!
The next part of the cupcake is the real strawberry buttercream frosting. After making my Strawberry Buttermilk Cake last year, I fell in love with using freeze-dried fruit in my cakes and frostings. Freeze-dried fruit is different than dried fruit because the freezing process makes it super crispy and crunchy since they’re dehydrated, rather than soft and chewy like dried fruit. And since they’re real berries, you get not only a gorgeous bright pink color but an amazing fresh strawberry flavor.
Lastly, there’s the chocolate-covered strawberries on top! They’re a cinch to make – just freshly washed & dried strawberries and chocolate candy coating. Simple!
When combined together, they all create magic in these Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cupcakes! I think you’ll agree!
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cupcakes
Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel
Recipe type: Cakes/Cupcakes
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 20
These Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cupcakes are absolutely to-die for! With a moist chocolate cake base, a real strawberry buttercream and a fresh chocolate-covered strawberry on top!
Ingredients
- FOR THE CUPCAKES:
- One box chocolate fudge or Devil’s food cake mix
- 1 & ¼ cups milk or water
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 3 large eggs
- One small box instant chocolate pudding mix (just the dry powder; do not make the pudding)
- FOR THE FROSTING:
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- One 8-ounce tub strawberry flavored cream cheese
- One 1-ounce package freeze-dried strawberries, pulverized into a fine powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4-5 cups confectioners’ sugar
- FOR THE CHOCOLATE-COVERED STRAWBERRIES:
- One pound fresh strawberries, rinsed and patted completely dry
- ½ package chocolate candy coating, melted and smooth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin tins with about 20 paper liners. Set aside.
- Add the cake mix, milk, oil, eggs, and pudding mix to a large bowl and whisk together until smooth and combined, about 1 minute. Portion the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling about ¾ths of the way full. Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Cool completely.
- Next, make the chocolate-covered strawberries. Dip the clean and dry strawberries into the melted candy coating about ¾ths of the way, leaving the top of the strawberry and the stem. Return to a parchment-lined baking sheet and let the chocolate shell harden. If you have additional melted chocolate after all the strawberries have been dipped, feel free to drizzle it onto the set berries for a little texture.
- For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese with the paddle attachment until fluffy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add in the freeze-dried strawberry powder and vanilla, followed by the confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition until smooth, soft and fluffy.
- Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and garnish with a chocolate-covered strawberry. Serve immediately or within 1 day.
3.5.3251
Sweet, fruity, fudgy and absolutely divine! You’re going to love these flavorful, cute little cupcakes!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
