Search This Blog

Friday, February 4, 2011

Midnight Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

You know what I love about the weekends?  I can be sitting at my computer and all of a sudden the feeling of wanting to bake something comes over me.  The nice part is, I can pull away from my computer and go to the kitchen and bake or cook whatever I want.  I, unfortunately, don't have that luxury while at work :)

So last weekend I was working on some posts and got a craving for something cakey and chocolatey.  I did a bit of searching for just a few different ideas and I stumbled across this midnight chocolate cake recipe.  I thought....oh yum, chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting!!    CRAP! I don't have any cream cheese.  Ok, scratch the cream cheese frosting, how about just a plan butter cream frosting.......and so the Midnight Chocolate Cupcake with Strawberry Frosting was born.


Midnight Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting
Adapted from Sunset Magazine
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup water
For the Strawberry Frosting -
1 stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup), softened
1-2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
strawberry preserves (I used about 2 Tablespoons, you might want more or less strawberry flavor)

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 12 cup muffin tin (or you could use your silicone muffin pans) with cupcake liners; set aside.

In a bowl, add the cocoa powder, flour, soda, and salt; whisk until combined.

In a bowl of a stand mixer (or you could use a large mixing bowl and a hand mixer, or you can mix it all together by hand) fitted with a paddle attachment, add the sugar, oil, egg whites, vanilla, and water.  Mix on low until well combined.  Slowly add the flour mixture, taking time to scrape down the sides as you go.  Beat on medium until smooth.  Pour into prepared cupcake liners and place in oven.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, making sure to rotate your pan half way through the baking time.  The cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting:  In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whip attachment, add the butter.  Turn the machine on and let it beat the butter, on low, for about 2 minutes.  Slowly add the powdered sugar a little at a time until it reaches the rich consistency for spreading.  Add the vanilla and the strawberry preserves and beat until just combined.  (If the frosting is too dry, add a little milk or cream...if it's too wet, add more powdered sugar)  Frosted cupcakes can be covered and stored for up to 3 days.  Enjoy!


One Year Ago:  Snickers Cookies

18 comments:

Debbie said...

I'm sitting here and now have an urge to makes these! My kind of food....they look so good!

Unknown said...

I often have that urge for a nibble, late at night, but I have to restrain myself. This cupcakes will be hard to say to no though :)

Jewels said...

Evil Jenn, just evil LOL. I wish I could eat one of those now! Those look fantastic!

Katrina (Betty Ray) said...

What's not to love about a cupcake. Especially a chocolate one. Yum.

Andrea the Kitchen Witch said...

Chocolate and cakey. 2 of my favorite flavor profiles, indeed :) I love the strawberry icing, the pink color is so pretty on the dark cupcake :) Great. Now my bowl of cheerios doesn't look quite so tasty after seeing that cupcake :)

Yenta Mary said...

I cannot believe you're putting a chocolate cupcake in front of me when a) I can't actually touch or eat it, and b) I'M at work and can't go running to the kitchen to bake! Those look so good! And they're PINK!!!

RecipeGirl said...

Looks like a delicious cupcake- I've never thought to combine a strawberry frosting with chocolate cake. Yum!

Cranberry Morning said...

Oh yum! You and Mary ought to get together today - you with the chocolate cupcakes and Mary with her Nutella! :-)

Jean | Delightful Repast said...

I adore strawberry frosting, and doesn't the pink look pretty with the brown chocolate cupcake? Gorgeous photos, Jenn!

egbkid said...

Wow, do those look rich...and delicious! I love chocolate cupcakes, and nothing goes better with strawberry than chocolate, a perfect pair!!

Pam said...

The cupcakes look moist and delicious but the frosting is the star for me...I love the idea of strawberry frosting!

Roxan said...

Jenn these cupcakes are beautiful! The black and pink look great together. And I love that you didn't use any food coloring for the pink.

Anonymous said...

Those look so darling! Thank you for the kind words over the Chef's Dennis blog :)

Mary Bergfeld said...

They are beautiful. That is such a soft and lovely shade of pink and the flavor of a strawberry icing must be truly remarkable. I'd love to try these. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Chris said...

Did you make them at midnight? :)

Sarah-Jane - SiliconeMoulds.com said...

gosh - almost as bad as me. I'm usually creating in the kitchen at silly hours.

That looks like a really good chocolatey cupcake. Nothing worse that a chocolate cake lacking oomph. It should be rich and deep and really dark. Your's look perfect :-)

paige said...

in directions it says to mix oil, sugar , egg whites, vanilla and water. however water isn't listed in the ingredients....

Unknown said...

Sorry, Paige, don't know how I missed that... it's 1 cup of water. But I would start out with 1/2 a cup and add a little until you get the right consistency. Hope that helps.