If you love rich chocolate and fresh strawberries, these Strawberry Chocolate Cupcakes will be your new favorite treat. From the moist cake to the rich, surprise ganache center to the fluffy strawberry frosting, each bite is a balanced medley of flavors and textures. You won't be able to stop eating!
Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Dessert
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 18 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 12
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Sweet, fruity strawberry paired with rich chocolate.
- 🍚 Best Served With: A glass of milk, coffee, or fresh strawberries.
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, bake ahead and frost the day of serving for best results.
Summarize and Save This Content On
What sets these chocolate strawberry cupcakes apart from other recipes out there is the decadent chocolate ganache filling. It adds more texture and enhances the chocolate flavor of this dessert. The light and fluffy strawberry buttercream balances the rich chocolate, keeping you coming back for more.
If you enjoy chocolate and strawberry desserts, you'll love these strawberry truffles and strawberry cheesecake brownies. This strawberry banana bread is really good too.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It doesn't have any artificial flavors: These cupcakes are flavored with natural ingredients, so you get real strawberry flavor in the buttercream frosting.
- It feels gourmet, but it's easy: From the homemade batter to the rich chocolate ganache filling and the smooth strawberry frosting, this feels and looks like it came straight from a bakery. However, it's easy to make right in your kitchen!
- It's great for holidays: The beautiful presentation of these strawberry cupcakes deserves to be celebrated! Prepare a batch to share with friends and family at your next holiday party.
Ingredients
The key components of each layer of these strawberry chocolate cupcakes are listed below. Each of these is crucial to get the most successful result with minimal fuss!
- Cocoa powder: The unsweetened cocoa is responsible for the deep chocolate flavor of the cupcakes. It also gives you control over the sweetness, balancing the frosting instead of competing with it.
- Hot water: This is crucial for blooming the cocoa to achieve the optimal flavor profile. It also helps it dissolve fully, resulting in a softer crumb. I add it to the batter of these monster cupcakes, too.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: For a decadent, balanced strawberry cupcake filling, semi-sweet chocolate is ideal for the ganache. It's not overly sweet, but it adds a feeling of luxury to the cupcakes without overwhelming the other components.
- Strawberry powder: If you can't find strawberry powder, you may use freeze-dried strawberries and blend them in a food processor. It infuses real strawberry flavor and natural color into the buttercream without affecting the texture.
- Butter: You'll need softened, unsalted butter for this buttercream. I prefer unsalted to keep it from overpowering the strawberry flavor. Softened butter keeps your frosting rich and fluffy.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Mocha: Add ½ teaspoon of espresso powder to the cupcake batter to enhance the chocolate flavor without making it taste like coffee.
- Raspberry: Replace half of the strawberry powder in the frosting with raspberry powder to give it a little extra tartness.
- Add chocolate chips: Stir in ½ cup of white or dark chocolate chips into the cupcake batter for melted pops of richness.
These cupcakes pair quite nicely with my chocolate strawberry ice cream.
How to Make Strawberry Chocolate Cupcakes
To get started on this strawberry chocolate cupcake recipe, preheat your oven to 350F and line your cupcake pan with liners. Then, you can prepare the cupcake batter!
Step 1: Scoop the cupcake batter. After combining all the cupcake batter ingredients, fill each liner about ⅔. Then, pop the pan into the oven and bake them for about 16-18 minutes.
Step 2: Make the ganache. While the cupcakes are cooling, warm the heavy cream in a saucepan over low heat. Once steaming, pour it over the chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl. Stir until smooth, then refrigerate for 15 minutes to thicken.
Step 3: Pipe the ganache. Next, remove some of the center of each cupcake. Now you can pipe the chocolate ganache.
Step 4: Prepare and add frosting. Finally, make the strawberry buttercream and pipe it onto each cupcake with a large star tip. Garnish them with a drizzle of warm ganache and a strawberry slice to serve! Enjoy one with a scoop of chocolate strawberry ice cream.
Expert Tips
- Avoid overwhipping the frosting: Only beat the ingredients of the buttercream until they are combined and smooth. Overmixing it can lead to separation and a grainy texture.
- Use room temperature ingredients: Ensuring that the milk and eggs are room temperature ensures a smooth cupcake batter. They emulsify better with the sugar and oil, preventing the mixture from breaking and curdling.
- Cool the cupcakes completely: The chocolate strawberry cupcakes must cool completely before you add the ganache and the frosting. Warm cupcakes will prevent the filling from setting properly and also melt the strawberry buttercream.
- Storage directions: Store your cupcakes at room temperature for up to 24 hours or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Place them in an airtight container in a single layer for best results. You may also freeze the cupcakes, unfilled and unfrosted, for up to 2 months.
I love these Nutella-stuffed chocolate cupcakes with strawberry buttercream, if you want a similar recipe.
Serving Suggestions
- Enjoy one of these chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting and a scoop of homemade dark chocolate ice cream.
- One of my favorite drink pairings is a coffee milkshake because the flavor goes well with chocolate.
- Prepare a party board filled with Valentine's Day desserts like Valentine's puppy chow and easy layered candy bark.
- Serve this salmon florentine as a fancy yet easy date night meal with strawberry chocolate cupcakes for dessert!
Recipe FAQs
Sure! You may bake them 1-2 days in advance and store them unfrosted. It's better to add the other components fresh.
Of course. You can do the same for the chocolate ganache as well! Prepare them both up to a day ahead and keep them in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator.
This isn't ideal because fresh strawberries add extra moisture that can cause a runny consistency, separation, and a much shorter shelf life.
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More Delicious Cupcake Recipes
Do you like cupcake recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Strawberry Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ cup whole milk room temperature
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup hot water
Chocolate Ganache
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
Strawberry Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup freeze-dried strawberry powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Garnish
- Fresh strawberry slices
- Extra ganache for drizzling
Instructions
- For the Chocolate Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a 12-cup cupcake tin with cupcake liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the sugar, egg, milk, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Pour in the hot water and mix until the batter is smooth and thin. Divide the batter between the cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.
- For the Ganache: Place the chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl. Warm the cream until steaming and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth and glossy. Chill for about 15 minutes until slightly thickened but still spoonable.
- Fill the Cupcakes: Use a cupcake corer or a small knife to remove a small center from each cooled cupcake. Spoon or pipe the ganache into the center of each one. Replace the top piece if desired.
- For the Strawberry Buttercream: Add the freeze dried strawberries to a food processor and pulse until a fine powder forms. Beat the softened butter and vanilla in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer until light and creamy. Add the powdered sugar gradually until completely combined. And the freeze-dried strawberry powder and mix on low until combined. If the buttercream becomes too thick after adding the strawberry, you can add 1 tablespoon of cream until you reach the desired consistency. Beat on medium-high until fluffy.
- Decorate: Pipe the strawberry buttercream onto the cupcakes using a piping bag with a large star tip. Warm the remaining ganache slightly if needed, then drizzle it over the frosting. Top each cupcake with a fresh strawberry slice.
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Notes
- Prepare the cupcakes, ganache, and frosting a day in advance. Keep the cupcakes tightly covered and the buttercream and ganache in separate containers in the refrigerator.
- Cool the chocolate cupcakes completely before adding the ganache and buttercream.
- Avoid using fresh strawberries in the buttercream because it will cause it to be watery because of the extra moisture.
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