The Tuesday Treat: Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

For an explanation of The Tuesday Treat, see here.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
When you have a surfeit of strawberries, and you’ve made jam, cake, and eaten them every which-way yet still have some left, there’s only one thing left to do: make strawberry buttercream to perch atop cupcakes. This frosting is ridiculously easy to make – just butter, vanilla, a little milk, powdered sugar, and strawberries. I paired it with a batch of chocolate cupcakes, but vanilla (or even lemon-flavored) cupcakes would be lovely, too.

Makes 1 doz. cupcakes

For the cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or mix of wheat/white)
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the oil, vanilla, vinegar and water. Mix together until smooth. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

For the strawberry buttercream
1 stick butter, well-softened at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk, plus more if needed
1/2 cup chopped strawberries

In a large bowl bowl cream the butter, then add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Beat on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 1 tablespoon milk and keep beating until the frosting is creamy. Add the strawberries and beat well until strawberries are pureed and frosting is pink.

If the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks.

Lesli says: Nicole, you spoil me!