Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

Happy April!

I'm very excited for this month.. I have a lot of fun things coming up! First of all, spring break is this month, and I am going to MIAMI!!!! I am excited, I have never been. Time for some sun.. sand.. spa.. relaxation.. ah.... it will be great! Now I just need to pack! What to pack.. what to pack... I have a cute new bathing suit to show off.. and a nice floppy beach hat.. but I need to start working on some night time outfits.

A friend of mine has a giveaway on her blog with a super cute clutch that I would love to have down in Miami.. it goes with everything. Check out her giveaway here! http://summer-year-round.blogspot.com/2011/03/giveaway-cory-renee-clutch.html I love a good clutch. They are so classy, it's hard to look bad carrying a cute little clutch.. and they're just right for carrying your night essentials... lipstick.. cell phone.. keys.. and cards..

Also up this month... Easter! Which means Lent is over, and I can start eating sushi again! I thought giving up shopping was hard last year, but only about 3 weeks in I'm dying without sushi!!

Annnnddddd April has a ton of birthdays of people I love.. including MYSELF!! My birthday is next Wednesday.. I'm about to be 25. I'm feeling a little anxious about it, I always thought by this point I would have a lot more accomplished by now, but I would guess most people feel this way. I just feel like my panic is setting in early. I am meeting up with friends for cocktails at one of my favorite restaurants in Philadelphia at the moment, so I'm pretty excited about that!

In the spirit of all these birthdays to celebrate, (including one tonight!) I made some delicious cupcakes to take to a party. Mmmm.



They are a simple chocolate cupcake.. stuffed with some fresh homemade strawberry jam after baking.. and then frosted with some chocolate buttercream frosting. A gooey take on the classic treat, which of course only makes the presentation and tastiness factor climb even higher when served alongside!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

2 sticks unsalted butter softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

1 cup powdered' sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (1/4 cup to use in the frosting, 1/4 cup to use in the batter)
fresh strawberry jam (It's easy to make, just chop up a container of strawberries, stir in a few tbsp of sugar, and a splash of water, and cook at medium heat over the range top for about 30 minutes until the jam thickens and coats the back of a spoon. It will thicken even more when cooled)

I chose not to use liners for these cupcakes because I thought they looked prettier with smooth edges. If you do this, you need to butter and flour the muffin cups of your pan. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer, blend one stick of butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy. Then blend in all of the wet ingredients (eggs, vanilla, and milk). Slowly add in the flour whisked with the salt and baking powder at slow speed until combined. Divide the batter into all of the muffin cups. Bake for about 18-20 minutes until set and the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

When cooled, cut a small section out of the top of each cupcake with a small circular fondant cutter, or try your best with a knife if you don't have one.



Lift out section with a knife and fill with jam. Then replace the top pushing down firmly, but gently.



Now for the frosting (this obviously can be done earlier). With an electric mixture, beat the other stick of butter and the confectioners sugar together with a couple of table spoons of milk or water until smooth.



Frost your cupcakes and decorate however you choose.. sprinkles, turbinado sugar, caramelized strawberry slices, with chocolate covered strawberries. Whatever you do, it'll be delicious! Enjoy!