Saturday, February 13, 2010

Day 959's Valentine's treat recipe


Chocolate-covered strawberries are a pretty cliche thing to eat on Valentine's Day, but the combination is pretty irresistible. Instead, I decided to make chocolate cupcakes with my favorite strawberry icing.


The dark chocolate cupcake recipe* is Ina Garten's (and that peanut butter icing is delicious too, by the way) and the stawberry icing is supposedly the recipe from Sprinkles (I think I found it on Smitten Kitchen last year). It's so delicious I could eat it with a spoon. I used a Ziploc bag as a stand-in for a pastry bag and topped them with a light dusting of red decorating sugar.


Strawberry Icing
1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
pinch of course salt
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor, and process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed and slowly add sugar. Beat until combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree** (I add it to taste) and mix until just blended. Do not overmix; the consistency should be dense and creamy -- like ice cream.

Ice your cupcakes and enjoy!

* The recipe says it makes 14-15, but I got 2 dozen. The icing covered all but four, which I put in the freezer. It also says to bake for 22 minutes, but I checked them at 20 and they were done. 19 minutes probably would have worked, too so keep an eye on them.
** I also added a bit of red food coloring to get a brighter pink.

19 comments:

Alee said...

These look delish! Thanks for sharing

Courtney Michelle said...

Oh my goodness! Those cupcakes look delicious!!!

I plan on making cupcakes tomorrow...hopefully mine turn out good!

By the way...super cute blog! I'm a new follower and I love your posts!! Thanks for sharing! :)

Jennifer said...

The cupcakes look and sound wonderful. They would be a sweet delight even my picky hubby would enjoy! Thanks for sharing the icing recipe.

Have a wonderful Valentines Day!
Jennifer

Anonymous said...

Festive and delicious (looking)! :) Can't wait to try the recipe!

RLG said...

Thank you so much for this timely and awesome post. I've been looking for a special cupcake for my twin daughters' third birthday fast approaching. These are chocolate AND gorgeous (and I might say even a bit girlie). Perfect. xoxo

Melissa said...

your cupcakes look like they came straight from a bakery! i'm going to have to try the ziplock bag trick! hope you have a happy v-day, God Bless! =)

Brooke @ Blueprint Bliss said...

I am drooling! YUM! And they look like you could buy them in a bakery!

Unknown said...

Your photos are great!! Wish I had one of those cupcakes for myself!

megan @ a life's design said...

yum...what a perfect treat!

Jen of MadeByGirl said...

Oh I love this. We went to get some CHOCOLATE covered strawberries at Godiva and they were like $9 each!! I think the best think to do is make your own desserts, saves a ton of money and with a recipe like this, you can't lose. Thank you! oxoxo

Jen Ramos
'Cards & Prints You'll Love...'
www.madebygirl.com
madebygirl.blogspot.com

Dina said...

WOW, these look awesome, I will have to try making them this weekend. They really beat out my Betty Crocker Yellow Cake Mix ones!

Grace @ Sense and Simplicity said...

They look delicious. Thanks for posting.

kelly@TearingUpHouses said...

delicious! and seriously pretty!

kelly

Unknown said...

Do you make deliveries to Indianapolis? (: Hope you had a great Valentine's Day!

Gail said...

Oh my this recipe looks heavenly! I love strawberry frosting. :)

Haven and Home said...

They look great, I am sure they tasted just as good!

LindsB said...

yum, these look delish!

Pink Wallpaper said...

seriously, you can't do that to a pregnant woman...now i am dying to have one!!

{Amanda} said...

pretty cupcakes! and what a great idea to use the plastic baggie as your pastry bag...cool =)