Chocolate Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream are made with the most moist, rich and flavorful chocolate base; topped with strawberry buttercream that’s made with fresh strawberry puree.

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Chocolate cupcakes – you either love them or hate them. There is never a middle ground.

This will be the last recipe you’ll ever need for chocolate cupcakes. It’s a simple recipe and they taste better than any other chocolate cupcake. Ever.

Taste better than any other chocolate cupcake?

Well, we all, meaning anyone that has ever clicked publish on a recipe for, well just about anything always claim it’s better than the competition. You can decide for yourself.

However, you’ll never know, unless you give it a try!

What makes these chocolate cupcakes so special?

Honestly, I think it’s the quality ingredients. If you don’t start with quality ingredients, your recipes will be sub par, like their ingredients.

So what are the quality ingredients to produce these cupcakes?

The first one, and it’s a biggie, since these are chocolate – cocoa powder. I really love Rodelle’s Baking Cocoa. It’s got this really deep rich chocolate flavor, that I haven’t tasted in other brands of cocoa.

Buttermilk. No, you can’t substitute milk or a make your own version of buttermilk. This recipe needs the real thing. The one with full fat. None of that non fat buttermilk. You want the kind that your great grandmother used, if she made homemade corn bread.

Can I substitute the oil with butter?

Well, you could, but it’s not going to give you this same texture. You need the oil. My choice is always canola. However, melted coconut oil will also work. Just no melted better!

Why all these room temperature ingredients?

When using room temperature ingredients, they blend better into the batter.

Is there any way to speed up this process?

Yes! For the eggs, I take a bowl of very warm water…NOT BOILING and NOT HOT. Just water that it a little warmer than luke warm. Gently place the eggs in the water for 10 to 15 minutes.

For the buttermilk, you can do the same thing. Place the buttermilk in a tall glass and sit that glass, this time, in a bowl of hot water. Again, not boiling, but hotter than the water for the eggs. The timing is the same with the eggs.

So let’s talk frosting. This is the exact same frosting I use for my Fresh Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Buttercream. You’ll be using fresh strawberries. It’s delicious, and yields the best strawberry flavor.

Other frostings that will pair perfectly with these chocolate cupcakes?

Any and all! Seriously. Chocolate pairs so well with just about any frosting you put on it.

Here are some ideas for you:

1. Mint Chocolate
2. Peanut Butter
3. Milk Chocolate
4. Dark Chocolate
5. Vanilla
6. Caramel

Looking for more great cupcake recipes?

• Carrot Cake Cupcakes & Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
• Funfetti
• Not So Spooky Spiced Chocolate Cupcakes
• Caramel Apple Cupcakes
• Simple Vanilla Cupcakes (these are egg free)

Yield: 14

Chocolate Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream

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Chocolate Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream are made with the most moist, rich and flavorful chocolate base; topped with strawberry buttercream that's made with fresh strawberry puree.

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 41 minutes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temp

Frosting

• 2 sticks butter
• 4 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons strawberry puree **see notes

Instructions

Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners and line a second pan with 2 liners. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, sugars, oil, and vanilla together until completely smooth.
4. Pour half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then half of the buttermilk. Stir for just a minute, not really combining thoroughly.
5. Repeat step 4. Stirring just to get the ingredients combined. Do not over mix.
6. Spoon the batter into the liners, filling only halfway.
7. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

1. In a large bowl attached to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 2 minutes.
2. Add powdered sugar, salt, strawberry puree, and heavy cream running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes. *see notes

Notes

*Add up to 1/2 cup more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or another tablespoon of cream if frosting is too thick.

**in a food processor blend up the strawberries until you get a puree. strain through a mesh strainer to get the 2 1/2 tablespoons puree. start with 6 strawberries, and add more as needed to get the two tablespoons of strained puree.