This chocolate strawberry cupcake recipe is my besties - it's super cute and delicious! They're not too sweet either, which I love. Prior to having boys to spend our Valentine's Day with, we would have a girls night, make dinner and bake these exact cupcakes. These are perfect for Valentine's Day, but let's be real, cupcakes are good for any day of the week!
If you have a heart shaped cookie cutter, I would recommend using it to cut your strawberries for added sweetness! I couldn't find mine so I hand cut them, and it's just not the same.
Lastly, if you're new to my blog [welcome!] and want to learn more about the cookbook series, you can do so here.
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Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
Course: Dessert
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Frosting
- 4 cups organic confectioners sugar
- 1/2 cup margarine or 1/2 cup refine coconut oil (I used Earth Balance Organic Buttery Spread)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup of water
Garnish
- 1 1/2 cups fresh sliced strawberries
- Confectioners sugar (optional)
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Line cupcake pan (I had enough for 18 regular sized cupcakes)
- Sift or whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt
- In a separate bowl, mix the coconut milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla and espresso powder until smooth
- Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and mix with fork or small whisk
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners (the cups should be filled about 2/3 full)
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean
- Cool cupcakes
Frosting
- Combine the confectioners sugar, margarine and vanilla extract into a stand mixer
- Beat on medium-high speed until combined
- Leave the mixer on, and add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until you reach the desired consistency
Once the cupcakes are cooled, it's time to construct your cupcake! The "proper" way to build your cupcake is below, however my cupcakes didn't grow as much as I wanted, and my icing turned out a bit watery, so I ended up making a few cupcakes with just icing and a strawberry on top.
- Slice off the top 1/3 of each cupcake
- Spread frosting and sliced strawberries, and then place top of cupcake back on
- Add additional frosting and strawberry on top
- Dust with confectioners sugar
Indulge!
