The snow day gods were really smiling down upon me today. They dumped an extra 6 inches of pow than what was expected, down on the Denver metro area last night and into this morning. And I’m not just saying that I feel #blessed because I got a day off from work; that’s obvious and goes without saying. You see, last night I made these chocolate-strawberry cupcakes for Friday Treats day at my school. We were going to set up a big Valentine’s Day spread in the teacher’s lounge. Valentine’s candy, pink and red M&m’s, Valentine’s snacks- the whole shebang. Making these cupcakes for Friday Treats last night brought me more joy than it probably should have. I smiled the whole time I was pureeing fresh strawberries to mix in to the buttercream, and I hummed happily to myself as I carefully dipped each strawberry in melted chocolate, before sprinkling on some Valentine’s nonpareils. Finally, I imagined how beautifully my delightful little cupcakes would photograph, as I topped each one delicately with a chocolate-dipped strawberry.
And then, just then, I became horribly upset. In order to get to school on time the following morning, I would have to leave my house before the sun came up. And that meant that the photoshoot of my cupcake dreams just wouldn’t be happening. I wouldn’t get to arrange them on my glass cake stand, placing the best-looking one in front to be featured front and center. I wouldn’t get to be laughed at by my husband as I bring the cupcakes outside into my backyard and prop up my white background just-so, kneeling on the ground with my body crouched in weird positions, in order to catch the rays of light in just the perfect way. As I went to bed that night, dusting the powdered sugar out of my hair, I thought to myself that my Valentine’s dessert photo sesh just wasn’t meant to be.
That is, until my 5:01 AM alarm clock started to ring this morning, and I glanced up at my phone to turn it off. A single text message, from a strange number with a dash in the middle. It was the snow day text. Would it be a delay? Would it be something better?
As the wave of snow day happiness washed over my entire body, I had my first waking thought of the day. I would get to spend time outside with my cupcakes and my camera and Omar running around in the snow beside me. My cupcakes would be photographed in the beautiful natural daylight, tinted ever so slightly by the falling snow. It was a cupcake snow day miracle if I’ve ever seen one.
Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream and Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter 1 1/3 sticks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
For the Frosting:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup of strawberry puree from about 1-1 1/2 cups of fresh strawberries
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
For the Chocolate Covered Strawberries:
- 15 strawberries
- 6 oz melted chocolate
- sprinkles optional
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
-
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line 15 muffin cups with cupcake liners. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder and set aside. Use a standing mixer or hand-mixer to cream the butter. Add the sugar and vanilla and mix to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each one until smooth.
-
On the lowest speed, alternately add the dry ingredients in three additions and the milk in two. Beat only until smooth and fully combined, you don’t want to overwork the batter.
-
Scoop the batter into the prepared pans filling each about two-thirds full. Bake the cupcakes for about 25 minutes, or until the tops are puffed and spring back when lightly pressed. Be careful not to over bake the cakes, but know that if you take them out too early they may sink a bit. Cool the cakes in the muffin tins for about 5 minutes and then remove them to a rack and let cool completely.
For the Frosting:
-
Beat the butter and powdered sugar together with an electric mixer, starting on low and increasing speed as they come together. Add in the strawberry puree, salt and vanilla and mix until combined. Put the frosting into a piping bag, waiting until the cupcakes are cooled completely before piping on top.
For the Chocolate Covered Strawberries:
-
Prepare a small pan by lining it with parchment or wax paper. Melt the chocolate in the microwave (for about 1 minute) or in a small saucepan. Dip each strawberry into the chocolate, swirling it around as you lift it out. Add sprinkles while the chocolate is still melty. Place the strawberries on the pan and freeze for about 5 minutes. Place one strawberry on top of each cupcake. Enjoy!
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