Strawberry Chocolate Cupcakes

These strawberry chocolate cupcakes are fluffy, moist, and *drop-dead* delicious. Strawberry and chocolate have the ultimate romance. The dark tones of the chocolate bend ever so beautifully with the sweetness of the strawberry. The balsamic vinegar adds a slight touch of sourness, and the silky ganache, as always, wins your heart. The fluffiness of this cupcake makes it the perfect treat after a meal or a busy Easter weekend. They are super easy to bake and can be made in bulk. Make this Easter a little more special with these cupcakes!

Serves: 16

Ingredients

Cupcake

2 cups Flour

½ cup Cocoa powder

2 ¼ tsp baking Powder

Pinch of Salt

2 Eggs

2 Yolks

136g unsalted Butter

159ml Buttermilk

2 tbsp Coffee

2 tsp Vanilla extract

Strawberries

140g chopped Strawberries

1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

¾ tbsp Vanilla Sugar

Chocolate Ganache

1 ¼ cup milk Choco-chips

1 cup Heavy Cream

Toppings

Easter Eggs

Easter Sugar Candy

Grated White Chocolate

Method

Step 1- Strawberries

Add chopped strawberries, balsamic vinegar and vanilla sugar to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover the bowl and place aside till ready to use.

Step 2- Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 160℃ and line a muffin tray with cupcake liners. Add butter and sugar to a mixing bowl, with a hand beater on medium, cream the butter and sugar together till fluffy and doubles in volume.

Step 3

Then add in yolks to the bowl and beat till just mixed in. Then add one egg at a time and beat till all ingredients are combined. Scrape down the bowl from time to time.

Step 4

Now add in vanilla extract and beat for 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl. Separately sift flour, baking powder and salt. Then add in ⅓ of the dry ingredients and beat till incorporated. Followed by coffee and beat till thoroughly mixed in.

Step 5

Then repeat the process until buttermilk and the dry ingredients are mixed in. Once all the ingredients are mixed, scrape down the bowl and beat for 30 seconds. Then add 1-2 tbsp flour to the strawberries and toss till uniformly covered.

Step 6

Add the berries to the batter, and with a rubber spatula, fold them in. Then add the batter to the cupcake liners till they are ¾ filled. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 22-25 minutes or till an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Step 7

Then take the tray out of the oven and let the cupcakes rest in the tray for 20 minutes. Then transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack until they reach room temperature.

Step 8- Chocolate Ganache

Add heavy cream to a saucepan and place it on medium heat. Bring the heavy cream to a light simmer, then take it off the heat. Pour the heavy cream into the chocochips and let them rest for 10 minutes.

Step 9

Then whisk the heavy cream and chocolate together 3-4 times for 5 minutes. Taking 10 minutes intervals. Once the ganache is thick and lump-free, let it cool down for 10 minutes. Add the ganache to a piping bag attached with a desired tip.

Step 10- Assembly

Once the cupcakes reach room temperature, pipe the ganache on top and add easter eggs or easter sugar candy. Sprinkle some grated white chocolate. Serve immediately or refrigerator till ready to serve.

Tips

1. All ingredients need to be at room temperature.

2. You can replace vanilla sugar with ¾ tbsp granulated sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract.

3. Creaming the butter and sugar together till fluffy helps provide a moist and light sponge.

4. Use freshly brewed coffee for the best results.

5. You can replace buttermilk with full-fat milk.

6. Make sure to roll the strawberries in flour to avoid them sinking into the baked cupcake.

7. Make sure to use a heat-proof bowl when making the ganache.

8. If you boil the heavy cream, wait for it cools down before adding it to the chocolate.