Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes
Prep time: 25 mins | Cook time: 20 mins | Total time: 45 mins
Love at first bite! These Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes are the perfect dessert to enjoy this Valentine’s Day. A simple-to-make chocolate cupcake, infused with intense chocolate flavor using a trick called “blooming cocoa”, and generously frosted with a rich strawberry frosting that will have you falling head over heels!
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes
Prep time:
25 min
cook time:
20 mins
Total time:
45 mins
Love at first bite! These Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes are the perfect dessert to enjoy this Valentine’s Day. A simple-to-make chocolate cupcake, infused with intense chocolate flavor using a trick called “blooming cocoa”, and generously frosted with a rich strawberry frosting that will have you falling head over heels!
– know before you bake –
Traci & Caylie’s
Recipe Highlights
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Just in case sugar cookies, pink velvet cake, crème brûlée, and chocolate soufflés weren’t enough for your Valentine’s Day, we have a new (and delicious!) cupcake recipe to share with you.
These cupcakes were developed from a chocolate cake recipe we’ve been making for decades. My mom has been making variations of it for about 35 years, from kid’s birthday cakes to groom’s cakes to cakes made for local restaurants (or just for us to snack on at home😉). So when I wanted to make chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes for Valentine’s Day, we already knew exactly where to start.
For the cupcakes, we paired that rich chocolate flavor with a strawberry frosting made with freeze-dried strawberries, then finished them with chocolate-covered strawberries to bring the whole idea together.
Traci & Caylie Crossland
We’re the mother-daughter duo behind Bakers Table, sharing from-scratch recipes made with love, experience, and a serious passion for baking. Traci brings decades of baking expertise, while Caylie brings a fresh perspective and a love for all things creative. Together, we test every recipe to make sure it’s easy to follow and absolutely delicious. Read more about us and our blog →
“Our kitchen is where memories are made — and we’re so glad you’re here baking with us.”
Blooming The Cocoa
Blooming the cocoa simply means mixing it with something hot before adding it to the batter. In this recipe, we use boiling water to help bring out a deeper, richer chocolate flavor than you’d get from mixing the cocoa in with the dry ingredients.
A Few Things To Know Before You Start
Make sure to use Dutch-process cocoa powder, not natural process (like Hershey’s cocoa). Because the Dutching process neutralizes the cocoa’s natural acidity, you won’t need to use baking soda.
For this recipe, the water needs to be boiling to release the flavor and aroma from the cocoa powder.
Grinding freeze-dried strawberries for the frosting not only gives the frosting an intense strawberry flavor, it colors the frosting pink naturally!
These Cupcakes Can Be Made In (Almost🤫) One Bowl
The first thing to do, and the reason this is an almost one bowl cake, is to bloom the cocoa powder with the water.
After that, whisk all the dry ingredients together. Then add all the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Stir in the bloomed cocoa.
Spoon (or scoop) the batter into your muffin pan and bake for about 20 minutes.
The frosting is a simple American buttercream with strawberry powder mixed in.
It’s Time To Decorate!!
Now that everything is prepared, it’s time to decorate! After frosting each cupcake (I personally love to use a piping bag and a large star tip), the real fun can begin. To make these cupcakes extra valentine’s themed, I added chocolate dipped strawberries on top and made little hearts with my leftover chocolate. So, let’s make some chocolate covered strawberries!
- Step 1: Thoroughly wash and dry your fresh strawberries.
- Step 2: Melt the chocolate. The amount of chocolate you need will vary depending on how you want to decorate these cupcakes. I personally used about 2 cups of bittersweet chocolate because I wanted some extra chocolate dipped strawberries and to make the little heart shapes to add on top.
- Step 3: Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, dip ¾ of each dried strawberry into the chocolate. Let excess drip off. Place on a parchment paper lined sheet pan to dry.
To add some extra cuteness to each strawberry, drizzle some extra chocolate over the dipped strawberries or add some valentine’s sprinkles!
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When you make these Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Happy baking!
x, Caylie
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 6⅓ Tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
- ½ cup boiling water
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ⅞ cup granulated sugar
- 1⅛ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting
- ¾ cup salted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ cup strawberry powder
- 4 Tablespoons whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Heat the oven to 350℉/177℃.
- Line a cupcake tin with paper liners or spray it with baking spray. Set aside.
- Whisk the cocoa powder and boiling water together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
- Add the milk, oil, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Whisk in chocolate.
- Use a 3 Tablespoon scoop to portion the batter into your prepared pan.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the cupcakes test done.
Frosting
- In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and strawberry powder until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the milk and vanilla.
- Beat the mixture until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.
- Decorate as desired.
Notes + Tips!
- Room temperature is about 70℉/21℃.
- Use an oven thermometer to ensure accurate cooking temperatures.
- Remember to preheat your oven.
- Make sure your baking powder is not past its best by date!
- We ground freeze-dried strawberries to make the strawberry powder.
- Do not over-mix the batter.
- To ensure each cupcake is the same size, use a large cookie scoop (3 Tablespoons)!
- If you’re unsure the cupcakes are done baking, use a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the centers. If it comes out clean, then they’re done! If there’s still batter on it, the cupcakes may need 2-3 minutes more baking.
- Let the cupcakes cool COMPLETELY before frosting them.
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Let Me Introduce You!
Hi and welcome! We’re Traci and Caylie, a mother-daughter duo with 30+ years of combined experience in baking, recipe development, and food photography. Our expertly developed and delicious recipes have led us to be featured in publications such-as: Costco, Crate & Barrel, & more!
More about us →
Disclaimer
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