Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Filling

Chocolate strawberry cupcake topped with a chocolate covered strawberry.

5 from 2 votes

Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Filling

These moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Filling are deeply chocolaty with fresh strawberry filling and are topped with naturally colored strawberry cream cheese frosting.

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Cooling Time30

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: Cupcakes

Calories: 606kcal

Author: Erica Schramek

Equipment

Ingredients

Cupcakes

4 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate finely chopped
½ cup hot coffee
⅓ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup granulated white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup buttermilk room temperature
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 egg yolks room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling and Frosting

1 cup freeze-dried strawberries
8 ounces full-fat block cream cheese softened
½ cup unsalted butter softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup strawberry jam

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cupcakes

In a medium heatproof bowl add the 4 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate, ½ cup hot coffee, and ⅓ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder. Let sit for five minutes and then whisk until smooth.
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
Combine the ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
Whisk the ½ cup granulated white sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup buttermilk , ¼ cup vegetable oil, 3 egg yolks, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and chocolate mixture together in a large bowl.
Stir in the flour mixture until smooth, being careful not to overmix.
Fill the cupcake liners about ¾ full and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Remove cupcakes from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 2 minutes.
Remove the cupcakes from the pan and place them on a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

Frosting

Use a blender or food processor, to pulverize the 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder. You should have about a ¼ cup. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the 8 ounces full-fat block cream cheese and ½ cup unsalted butter until smooth and creamy.
Add the 3 cups powdered sugar, strawberry powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt.
Mix on medium-high speed for about 2-3 minutes, until smooth and creamy.

Assembly

Once the cupcakes have cooled remove the center of the cupcake.
Fill each cupcake with strawberry jam.
Replace the cupcake top and either use a piping bag and tip or knife to top each cupcake with the frosting.
(Optional) Decorate the tops of the cupcakes with crushed freeze-dried strawberries, a fresh strawberry, or chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients. Room-temperature ingredients are easier to incorporate together.

Do not overmix the batter. Overmixing can incorporate too much air causing the cupcakes to rise quickly and then fall in the center as they bake. Overmixing can also create tough cupcakes.

Use a cookie scoop to evenly portion the cupcake batter into the muffin pans.

Do not overfill the cupcake liners. Overfilling will cause a muffin top and possibly allow the centers of the cupcakes to sink. The liner helps to support the cupcake. Once it rises above the liner it no longer has the necessary support.

Wait until the cupcakes have cooled completely before coring them. Warm cupcakes are delicate and more likely to fall apart.

Do not frost warm cupcakes. The heat from the cupcakes will cause the butter in the frosting to melt.

Because cream cheese frosting is softer than traditional buttercream you may need to refrigerate it for 20-30 minutes before trying to pipe it onto the cupcakes.

Storage: Once frosted the cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition