chocolate-strawberry cupcakes
Cupcakes are infinitely more fun with a surprise filling, don’t you agree? I layered my rich devil’s food chocolate batter with strawberry jam for a sweet and jammy center that evokes memories of carefree moments spent savoring life’s sweetness. Pink buttercream swirls make these chocolate-strawberry cupcakes almost too pretty to eat, though I suggest you indulge (and prepare to lick the buttercream off your fingers, if need be!).
I’m sharing this recipe for the May Chocolate Party. This month’s theme is chocolate strawberry; scroll down below the recipe for more chocolate treats.
Chocolate-Strawberry Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
6 Tbsp strawberry jam
Strawberry Buttercream
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
pinch of salt
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp strawberry jam
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup standard muffin pan with baking cups. Whisk together boiling water and cocoa, then cool completely. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with cooled cocoa mixture (begin and end with flour mixture).
Divide half the batter evenly between cups; top with about 1 teaspoon strawberry jam. Spoon remaining batter evenly into cups and bake for 16 to 17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes for 2 minutes in pans on a wire rack, then carefully remove from pans and place on wire rack to cool completely.
To make buttercream, beat butter and salt in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and beat well, scraping down bowl as needed. Add vanilla and jam; beat on medium-high speed until light and airy. Fit a pastry bag with a 2D tip and pipe a spiral onto each cupcake. Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Yield – 22 cupcakes
Calories – 242 (per cupcake)
Carbs – 37
Join the Chocolate Party! Here’s how to participate (the rules):
1. Blog about your chocolate treat. Your recipe must include the two ingredients we choose. It can be a simple no bake treat or a sophisticated layer cake, the complexity level of the recipe is totally up to you.
2. Include a link back to this post or the Chocolate party page. Optional, add the Chocolate Party logo in your blog post or on your sidebar.
3. Your recipe must be published during the current month. Please do not link old recipes, they will be deleted.
59 comments
I mean, could these be any more gorgeous??!
What could be better than chocolate and strawberries? And these are gorgeous too!
They’re lovely, Laura. This frosting is definetely better (and healthier) with strawberry jam than with some pink colouring…
This chocolate party is very tempting 🙂
These beautiful cupcakes would make an excellent Mother’s Day treat! (Love the photos – I can tell you’re having fun with that lens!) 😀
I’m totally with you on the surprise fillings! I love them personally and think that adding them would add so much moisture to the cupcake 🙂
That is a great combination!
Beautiful cupcakes. And yes, I love a good surprise filling in my cupcakes!
I’m always prepared to lick a buttercream off my fingers 🙂
I meeeean, these are GOOOORGEOUS. And I am loving that surprise strawberry filling for a little extra punch.
Lovely! These cupcakes look wonderful! 🙂
What delicious chocolate cupcakes with strawberry buttercream rosettes, Laura! Definitely, it is more fun to dig in knowing that there is strawberry jam in their center… Mmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!
These cupcakes are beautiful, Laura! I wish I could eat one for a pre-lunch treat right now. 🙂
Way too cute!! I need one so badly right now 😀
Swirly buttercream atop chocolate cake with strawberry jam centers may indeed be the definition of pink perfection! Thank you for sharing your lovely recipes for the Chocolate Party, Laura.
Oh, my! My afternoon chocolate craving has kicked in BIG TIME!!! Just gorgeous!
There are some yummy lokking chocolate dishes in that lot. I love the way you pipe the icing. Mine never turns out as good.
Such marvelous cupcakes….from the strawberry surprise in the centers to the amazing strawberry buttercream! Beautiful, too!!!
So very pretty Laura! I just love this combination of chocolate and strawberry in cupcake form 😉
OMG this looks incredibly delish! I only eat cupcakes if they are filled with lots of good stuff! 🙂
These cupcakes — SWOON. I looooove chocolate and strawberries!
Beautiful photos as always! Yes you’re quite right. Cupcakes are good but they’re even better with a surprise!
These cupcakes are so pretty!!
Love- Love-Love! =0)
oh, yes! The surprise filling would definitely make me grab seconds! These cupcakes look so pretty Laura! Love that you added strawberry jam both to the cupcakes and the frosting.
I envy and adore how gorgeous every-single-recipe you make is!!! These cupcakes are no exception. Now… I’d like one please 🙂
So sweet and lovely! I just love this combination and yes a treat in the middle is the best!
You had me at surprise filling! MY FAV!
These are beautiful and I know have got to be delicious too. I love chocolate and strawberries together.
Laura….these are beautiful! The cupcakes look so rich and chocolatey and the icing….so pretty! : )
These look amazing, Laura…and your photos are beautiful!! I love the chocolate party ingredients this month…they go so well together!
Gorgeous-looking cupcakes! I’ve been so busy lately that just looking at your goodies calm me right down. I’m now imagining I have a piece in my hand 🙂
What a simply pretty little cupcake! Love the combination of strawberry and chocolate. I am sooooo happy strawberries are in season!!! Hope you have a great week Laura!
So perfectly simple. So perfectly pretty. So perfect!
Nice change from choc raspberry which is also good, just sayin’. But these look delishy.
Gorgeous cupcakes and I love the strawberry part.
These cupcakes are so gorgeous! And that pretty pink – LOVE IT!
If only I could pipe such pretty swirls I would bake more cupcakes. Hopefully some day and until then I have to stick to muffins!
chocolate + strawberry, my most favorite combination! delicious and beautiful!
These are beautiful, Laura!
I think I could be happy with the batter alone on these cupcakes Laura! Gorgeous photos as always!
Filling=awesome cupcakes. These look so good!
Hmmm stawberry and chocolate… what an neat combo… must try
Laura, I saw these gorgeous photos earlier and I still think of them. They look perfect and delicious! Sometimes words can’t describe to express how delighted when I saw these cupcakes. Strawberry buttercream might be a life changing frosting that I’ve never had in my life yet… I haven’t made my first cupcake (I know, you can laugh! hehehe), and this is tempting me…
Strawberry Buttercream? You have my attention! Swirling atop a jammy filled chocolate cupcake, just divine Laura!
These look lovely! The perfect combination.
I have been searching for a good, solid chocolate cupcake recipe. Everyone seems to have a different take on them. Even without the jam filling, do you love-love-love this recipe? Cupcakes are so finnicky & prone to dryness so just checking if you think they’re great even without filling. Pinned!
This is my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe! I’ve made endless variations and never had a problem with them being dry. Let me know if you try it out!
These look awesome- love the combo of strawberries and chocolate!
Laura, just gorgeous. Some day I will have those piping (and photography) skills. Wow. wow. wow.
The cupcakes sound terrific, especially with the surprise filling.
What delicious looking cupcakes! I really love the sound of the strawberry filling and the strawberry buttercream looks gorgeous!
Beautiful cupcakes! They look extremely delicious.
Cheers,
Rosa
I love the strawberry jam filling, it sounds incredible! I would definitely be licking my fingers for this frosting 🙂
I love that you said jammy. I want to create something with jam just so I can use the word jammy!
And I agree… these are way more fun than normal old cupcakes! Super pretty and the piping is beautiful (and so are the pictures!) 🙂
These cupcakes look delicious!
chocolate and strawberries together are a glorious match. This frosting is so creamy and lovely. The color is so delicate…
Totally agree about the hidden surprise – I just made some cupcakes with berries in the bottom. Definitely makes something already delicious even more alluring. These look great Laura – very rich and tasty!
Looks amazing. I would so love to try some. I am sure it tastes fantastic.
These are so pretty, I love the soft pink of the buttercream against the darkness of the cake.
Baking these right now for Father’s Day weekend! My husband chose them for his first Father’s Day! Thanks for recipe!