Before the end of the month, Easter is going to be upon us and we'll be up to our armpits in chocolate eggs and bunnies. But if you prefer something sweet but homemade, might I suggest these rich chocolate cupcakes? And to give a nod to Spring, top them with strawberry cheesecake frosting and a big 'ol beautiful ripe strawberry. In a month when you're likely to see a lot of chocolate, these might just be your favorites.
Of course, they don't have to be strawberry flavored - pick your favorite jam and crown them with the fruit of your choice. I highly recommend choosing brightly colored fresh fruit as a nod to the season. If you don't have coffee, you can substitute with water or milk. And, of course, you can choose to either add some food color or skip it - like I did with the cupcakes pictured here.
Now if you can manage to pause on making this amazing cupcakes for a couple days, I'll be sharing a recipe for a stunning chocolate dip/filling that would be excellent tucked inside these cupcakes. Simply remove a small amount of the top of each cupcake using a small knife and add enough filling to fill the cavity you've made. You could also use extra cheesecake frosting if you prefer. But feel free to make it even more festive for the season!
Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Cheesecake Frosting
- 8 T. butter, softened
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ c. dark coffee, cooled to room temperature
- ½ c. full fat Greek yogurt
- 6 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ c. miniature chocolate chips
- 4 T. butter, softened
- 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 ½ c. powdered sugar
- 2 T. strawberry jam
- Red food coloring, if desired
- Whole strawberries, for decorating
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners; set aside.
Cream together the butter and granulated sugar. Beat in the egg, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract. Mix the dark coffee into the batter.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet batter and mix just until combined. Add the miniature chocolate chips and mix to incorporate.
Fill each muffin liner about ¾ full with the batter.
Bake for 24 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick, inserted in the center, comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
To make the strawberry cream cheese frosting, add the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and strawberry jam to a bowl and beat until fully combined. Adjust the color using red food coloring, if desired.
Generously frost the cooled cupcakes and add a whole strawberry to each if desired.
- Yields: 12 servings
- Preparation Time: 1 hour