Chocolate Cupcake with Strawberry Frosting

Pour son anniversaire a l'ecole, Benjamin a demande des cupcakes au chocolat avec glacage a la fraise et smiley faces. Donc je pars a la recherche de recettes et fini par choisir les cupcakes au chocolat de "Lady Behind the Curtain" et le glacage a la fraise de "Cooking Classy". Pour les smiley faces, des bonbons devraient faire l'affaire. Et voila le resultat final.

To celebrate his birthday at school, Benjamin asked for some chocolate cupcakes with Strawberry frosting and smiley faces. After looking around, I picked the chocolate cupcake recipe from "Lady Behind the Curtain" and the strawberry frosting from "Cooking Classy". For the smiley faces, some candy eyes and candies will do the trick.

Chocolate Cupcake with Strawberry Frosting

Chocolate Cupcake Recipe (makes 36)

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 cups unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with 36 cupcake liners.
Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Melt butter with sugar in the microwave until the butter is mostly melted. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.  Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Cool completely before frosting.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

Yield: enough for 1 dozen cupcakes (I doubled the recipe and had enough for about 30 cupcakes)

Ingredients 

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature*

1 cup (15g) freeze dried strawberries

2 1/2 Tbsp heavy cream

1-1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions 

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, whip butter on medium-high speed until very pale and fluffy 6 - 8 minutes, frequently scraping down sides and bottom of bowl. Meanwhile, pulverize freeze dried strawberries in a food processor** until finely ground (wait about 10 second before opening food processor allowing the powder in the air to settle a bit. There should have 3 1/2 Tbsp of the strawberry powder). Transfer strawberry powder to whipped butter and blend mixture until combine. Stir in heavy cream followed by powdered sugar and whip mixture 4 - 5 minute longer on medium-high speed, until very pale and fluffy, frequently scraping down sides and bottom of bowl. Pipe on the cupcakes.

*or softened in microwave on HIGH power in 4 - 5 second intervals, rotating butter to next side between intervals until lightly softened.

**if you don't own a food processor, you can place the strawberries in a resealable bag, seal bag and crush to fine powder with a rolling pin. Make sure all the strawberries are crushed to a fine powder otherwise the piping of the frosting will be very difficult.

 Chocolate Cupcakes...

 ...with strawberry frosting...

 ...and smiley faces!

Celebrating at school!