Strawberry Kiss Cupcakes

A few nights ago, my younger brother, Ryan, had his girlfriend and her mom over to meet our family. His girlfriend's mom didn't really like the idea of her daughter dating but she wanted to get to know Ryan before making a decision on their future together (which is just ironic since they are only in 10th grade). My mom decided I should make dessert since I was going to work and unfortunately missed out on telling embarrassing stories about my brother. I decided to make a white cupcake with strawberry filling, a whipped cream frosting, chocolate drizzle, and a fresh strawberry on top. I came home from work to not only find that all of the cupcakes were gone but also that the girl's mom had stayed for hours just hanging out. I guess she loved Ryan and decided it was great that her daughter was dating him! Now my brother would like to take all the credit for this, saying it was his "charm." That's not the case though. We all know this miracle was performed by the warm, fuzzy feeling my cupcakes gave his girlfriend's mom. So this is my conclusion.... Strawberry Kiss Cupcakes are the perfect date cupcake. From meeting your significant other's parents to having a first date, these cupcakes should always tag along! Enjoy a Strawberry Kiss!

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Strawberry Kiss Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients

5 ½ ounces cake flour (yes, cake flour. NOT all-purpose flour)

5 ½ ounces sugar

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place 12 muffin cups in a muffin pan. If you don’t have muffin cups, spray the pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixture until fluffy. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and slowly combine them with the butter-sugar mixture. Add vanilla.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Combine the dry ingredients in the wet ingredient bowl. Scoop into muffin cups, 2/3 full, and place in the own. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.

Let your cupcake cool and then cut a hole out of the center of each cupcake. I like to use the smallest spoon I have because this prevents the cupcake from crumbling around the hole in the center. You can discard the middle sections that you remove, or have a little cake snack! :) Fill each hole with the strawberry filling at then top with the whipped cream frosting. To finish off your cupcake, top it with a chocolate drizzle and a whole fresh strawberry.

Strawberry Filling Ingredients

1 cup of strawberries

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon gelatin

2-4 teaspoons hot water

To make the fantastic strawberry filling, slice the strawberries into small pieces and set them aside. In a separate bowl, combine the gelatin with hot water until it dissolves. Start with 2 teaspoons but if the gelatin starts to form into a solid mass make sure to add another tablespoon.

IMPORTANT TIP: Gelatin is not fun to work with. You might be thinking: But I loved Jello as a kid or maybe even today! Jello and gelatin are a little different. If your water is not HOT the gelatin will become a gooey solid. Gooey solids do not mix into anything well!

Mix the strawberries into the gelatin-water mix. Then stir in the sugar. The filling should be able to move as a liquid. If the filling begins to gel make sure to mix it again. Put the filling in the refrigerator until you are ready to stuff your cupcakes.

Whipped Cream Frosting

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

One square of melting chocolate

Mix together the whipping cream, vanilla extract, and sugar. Beat on high until the mixture becomes fluffy and peaks form. Chill for about 10-15 minutes and then frost your cupcakes. Melt the chocolate (about one square of melting chocolate) and drizzle over the top of the cupcakes. Top your cupcake with a whole strawberry (make sure to wash them first).

Tips!

In order to melt chocolate you can either use a double boiler or your microwave. I prefer the microwave personally because I think its time-saving. When melting chocolate in the microwave start at 30 seconds. After that put the chocolate in for intervals of 15 seconds, mixing in between each interval. This will help you successfully melt your chocolate without burning it.

To drizzle chocolate over a cupcake, place an individual cupcake on a surface you don’t mind getting dirty. I use a butter knife to create a drizzled effect by placing the end of the knife in the chocolate and then swinging it back and forth over the cupcake.