Description
Delight in these luscious Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes featuring moist cocoa-infused cupcakes topped with fresh strawberry frosting and crowned with elegant chocolate-covered strawberries. This recipe combines rich chocolate flavors with fresh fruity sweetness, perfect for special occasions or everyday indulgence.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- 226 g dark chocolate melting wafers
- 16 whole strawberries, washed and dried
- 113 g white chocolate melting wafers
- Pink or red gel icing color, optional
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 130 g all-purpose flour
- 207 g granulated sugar
- 43 g Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 120 ml milk
- 120 ml vegetable oil
- 0.75 tsp vanilla extract
- 120 ml hot water
Strawberry Frosting
- 149 g fresh strawberries, chopped
- 112 g salted butter, room temperature
- 95 g vegetable shortening
- 460 g powdered sugar
- Pink or red gel icing color, optional
Instructions
- Melt Dark Chocolate: Melt the dark chocolate melting wafers in a small bowl following the manufacturer’s instructions until smooth and ready for dipping.
- Coat Strawberries: Immerse each strawberry into the melted dark chocolate, allowing excess to drip off, then place them on parchment paper to set.
- Melt White Chocolate: In a separate bowl, melt the white chocolate melting wafers following package directions.
- Color & Drizzle White Chocolate: Add pink or red gel icing color into the melted white chocolate and stir until the desired shade is reached, then drizzle over the chocolate-coated strawberries. Let them set completely and refrigerate until use.
- Prepare Oven and Cupcake Pan: Preheat oven to 148°C (298°F) and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk egg, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until blended.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until fully combined.
- Add Hot Water: Slowly add the hot water to the batter, mixing until smooth; the batter will be quite thin.
- Fill Liners and Bake: Fill each cupcake liner halfway with batter and bake for 18–23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool Cupcakes: Remove cupcakes from oven and allow them to cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Strawberry Puree: Puree chopped strawberries in a food processor until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds; set aside the puree.
- Beat Butter and Shortening: In a large mixing bowl, beat room temperature butter and vegetable shortening until smooth and creamy.
- Add Powdered Sugar (First Half): Mix in half of the powdered sugar until the mixture is smooth.
- Incorporate Strawberry Puree: Add 2 tablespoons of the strawberry puree and blend fully into the frosting base.
- Add Remaining Powdered Sugar: Mix in the rest of the powdered sugar until smooth, adding more strawberry puree gradually to reach desired consistency and flavor.
- Add Color to Frosting: Add pink or red gel icing color as needed to achieve your preferred pink shade.
- Pipe Frosting: Using a piping tip like Ateco 844, pipe the strawberry frosting onto the cooled cupcakes neatly.
- Top with Chocolate Covered Strawberry: Finish by placing one prepared chocolate-covered strawberry on top of each cupcake for a stunning presentation.
Notes
- Ensure strawberries for coating are completely dry to help chocolate adhere properly.
- You can substitute vegetable oil with canola or sunflower oil for a neutral flavor.
- For best results, use fresh, ripe strawberries for the frosting and decoration.
- If frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar; if too thick, add more strawberry puree.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Bring cupcakes to room temperature before serving for optimal taste.
