Decadent Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine the 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp kosher salt. Whisk to combine.
Add in the 2 eggs, ½ cup sour cream, and ⅓ cup warm coffee or water and whisk until a smooth batter forms.
Add in the 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix again. Make sure you whisk well, some dry ingredients can get trapped on the bottom of the bowl.
Fill each ⅔ of the way full with batter.
Bake for 18 mins. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes then cool completely on a wire rack.

Grind the freeze dried strawberries in a spice grinder, small blender or crush them in a zip top bag with a rolling pin. They should be powdery and very small. If they are too big, the pieces will get stuck in the piping tip when you decorate them.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add 1 cup softened butter, 1 cup crushed freeze dried strawberries, and 3 cups powdered sugar.
Cream on low building up to high when the butter has incorporated most of the sugar to prevent spilling.
Mix on high for 2 minutes.
Add in the 2 tbsp cream or milk and 1 tsp vanilla, and continue to mix for another minute. The buttercream should have stiff peaks. If the frosting is too thick, add another tbsp of cream.
Fill a piping bag fitted with a large tip with frosting and pipe onto the cupcakes. Alternatively you can use a knife to frost.

To make chocolate covered strawberries, wash and dry the strawberries well with the tops still on. Make sure they are super dry or the chocolate wont harden around the strawberry.
In a small bowl melt the ½ cup chocolate 30 seconds at a time in the microwave until melted.
Dip the strawberries in the chocolate, then lay on wax or parchment paper to dry.
To speed up the hardening of the chocolate, place them in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Top cupcakes.

Course: Cupcake, Dessert

Cuisine: American