Chocolate Cupcakes - with Peanut Butter/Chocolate Swirl Icing Topped with Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Happy Valentines Day!

This is my tribute to my February cupcake of the month.  As you saw on a previous post this month, I am working towards making a different flavored cupcake that fits all 12 months.  So this is 2 of 12 monthly cupcakes.

Let me tell you, I have making cupcakes down to a fine science, but it is the frosting, piping, decorating, ect. that I am still working on mastering.  This recipe pushed me to trying a swirl icing for the first time, and I succeeded!

Chocolate covered strawberries are a classic in my house, I am what you call a pantry hoarder, as I love to over stock my pantries with lots of different things to give me inspiration, and I LOVE buying in bulk.  So when Michael's had a sale on chocolate melts (of every color in the rainbow), I jumped on the opportunity. So with the melts we were able to find the right colors in the pantry to make the strawberries very festive for Valentines Day.

To make the strawberries, we melted pink, red, and brown chocolates to dip the strawberries in.  It doesn't take long for them to set up, as the strawberries are best dipped when they are cold.  When melting the chocolate melts, use a microwave safe bowl, and put the defrost to 1 minute.  The melts might not look like they are not melted at all after you defrost them, but start stirring the melts together quickly with a rubber spatula, and you will see that they will start melting down to the perfect consistency in seconds. DO NOT OVER DEFROST the melts or else you will over heat them and they will loose there form.  Also do not try to add water or milk to the melts, as that will make them loose their form as well (yep learned this the hard way).  We then melted down some white melts and put them into a zip lock baggie.  Snipped the very end of the bag and drizzled the white chocolate melt over the top of the strawberries.  Victoria and I also dipped pretzels into the left over color melts (so we didn't waist a drop).

Below is the ingredients and instructions on how to make the cupcake and frosting.

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup strawberry preserves or jelly
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

For the Frosting:
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 ounces peanut butter morsels
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 pinches of salt
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons whole milk

Directions:

1. Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with liners.
3. Whisk the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.
4. Combine the cocoa powder and espresso powder in a large bowl.
5. Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until hot but not simmering, pour over the cocoa powder mixture and whisk until smooth.  Let cool a few minutes.
6. Add the granulated sugar and whisk until dissolved.
7. Whisk in the vegetable oil, egg and vanilla, then whisk in the flour mixture until combined
8. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds of the way. (I use a cookie dough scooper, and it takes about two scopes for each muffin cup).
9. Bake until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when gently pressed, about 20 minutes.
10. Stir together the strawberry preserves and lemon juice and brush on the warm cupcakes.  Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
11. Make the frosting: Microwave the semisweet chocolate and the peanut butter morsels with the creamy peanut butter in separate bowls in 30-second intervals, stirring, until melted.  Let cool.
12. Beat 6 tablespoons butter and pinch of salt in a bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth.
13. Beat in the melted semisweet chocolate.  Add 1 cup confectioners' sugar; beat until fluffy, 2 minutes.
14. Then beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk.  Set the semisweet chocolate frosting aside.
15. Repeat the same steps for the peanut butter morsels with the creamy peanut butter.
16. Spoon the peanut butter frosting onto one side of a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. 
17. Spoon the semisweet chocolate frosting next to the peanut butter frosting so the two flavors are side by side.
18. Pipe the swirled frosting onto the cupcakes and top each with a dipped strawberry.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!