Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting
Light and fluffy chocolate cupcakes topped with the most delicious strawberry frosting.
Servings: 16 cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1⅔ cups All-Purpose Flour
- ¾ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- ⅔ cup Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
- 1 cup Hot Water
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil
- ⅔ cup Brown Sugar
- ⅔ cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
For the Frosting:
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- ¼ cup Strawberry Puree
- ¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the hot (boiling) water and the cocoa powder. Whisk to combine and allow to sit for 2 minutes. This lets the cocoa powder bloom.
- After the cocoa is bloomed in the water, add the oil and sugars. Whisk to incorporate. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk. Whisk vigorously for about 2 minutes to aerate the batter a bit.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix together until just combined. Do not over mix as this will create a tough cupcake. Evenly distribute the batter amongst the cupcake pan, filling each about 2/3 of the way up. This batter will make 16-18 cupcakes, so you will probably have to bake two batches.
- Put the cupcakes in the preheated oven and immediately adjust the temperature to 350°F. Starting the cupcakes out in a hotter oven allows them to rise better which is why we preheat the oven to 400°F but then change the temperature to 350°F as soon as we put the cupcakes in the oven.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.
For the Frosting:
- Puree 6-8 strawberries in a food processor or blender. This should yield about 1/4 cup of strawberry puree.
- Add the butter and strawberry puree to a large bowl and beat to combine. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes to make sure everything is combined well and to aerate the butter a bit.
- Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing until incorporated, until all 4 cups are added. Add the salt and vanilla and mix together.
- Taste as you go. If you want more strawberry flavor, add in a bit more strawberry puree, if you want it sweeter add more sugar or if you want it a bit more savory add a pinch of salt. Frosting is pretty forgiving, so you can make it to taste.
- Once it is created, frost the cooled cupcakes as you see fit, you can pipe frosting on them or add it with a spoon. Either way, they'll taste delicious, enjoy!