Makes 9 - 10 cupcakes.
Easy Valentines Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
Chocolate cupcakes:
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. plus 1/8 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. hot water
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tbsp. canola or other vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line muffin tin with cupcake papers; set aside.
Sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, water, heavy cream, oil and vanilla. Mix with a hand held mixer until smooth.
Divide batter among cupcake papers, filling each ¾ full. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool before frosting.
Vanilla and strawberry frostings; topping:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar - the finest you can find (usually 10 x)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Few drops of liquid red food coloring
- Strawberry flavoring (McCormick makes Strawberry extract, but I like to use a couple of drops of LorAnn Strawberry flavoring oil to taste.)
- * Milk or heavy cream, optional
- 9 or 10 assorted filled bon-bon type chocolates
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together the butter and confectioners’ sugar. Begin mixing on low speed until crumbly, and then increase to high and beat for 3 minutes. Add vanilla extract and beat again for another minute until light and fluffy. Transfer 1/3 of the vanilla frosting to a piping bag fitted with Ateco 40S decorator tip or Wilton drop flower tip 2D.
Beat the remaining frosting on medium speed, adding the red food coloring in a little at a time until the desired pink color intensity is achieved. Add strawberry extract or strawberry flavoring oil. Transfer pink icing to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip, Ateco brand #828 or Wilton tip 8B. Pipe small stars of icing around the outside edge of the cupcakes with the white vanilla frosting. Pipe a large swirl of pink frosting in the middle of the cupcake, making two passes with the piping bag. Top each cupcake with a chocolate bonbon.
Source: http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2013/01/neapolitan-bonbon-cupcakes.html
