Rose cupcakes and a Valentine’s Day Minted
giveaway… I’d say Monday is off to a pretty sweet start, wouldn’t you?
There’s all kinds of good stuff going on here today: perfect chocolate-chocolate chip cupcakes, an incredible strawberry cream cheese frosting that will knock your socks off, and $100 towards Valentine’s Day cards from Minted. – because every Valentine needs a sweet treat and a cute card, right? Right.
I actually have another chocolatey V-day treat to share with you guys sometime soon which I’m super excited about, but then I just couldn’t resist going the cutesy route too and swathing a dessert in pink frosting roses and little sugar pearls. I’m a sucker for pretty cakes and cupcakes; it’s true. :/ Plus, I definitely needed to have a continuation of the chocolate and strawberry thing I had going on last Valentine’s with that strawberry bundt cake. All this is another way of saying that my Sunday plans got buried somewhere under a bowl of rich chocolate cupcake batter, rosy swirls of strawberry frosting, and a heavy dusting of cloudy-white confectioner’s sugar covering my kitchen like sweet snow. It was worth it.
I have in fact made these chocolate cupcakes before, although it was back in the days of… umm.. my 10th blog post ever, when nobody knew this little space of the internet existed. I knew they were good, but I’d forgotten just how perfect they are until now. They somehow manage to be moist without being wet at all, and so tender that you can bite into them just as easily as you can sink your teeth into the frosting on top. And because I can’t leave well enough alone, I stirred chocolate chips into the batter. It had to be done.
Must say though, what I’m loving about these cupcakes is that luscious Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting. It may look innocent in all its blush-colored rose glory, but if anything was ever dangerously delicious, it’s this frosting. It’s got that sweet tang of cream cheese frosting laced with a pure, bright strawberry flavor. Plus, the fresh strawberry purée gives it a gorgeous pink hue without using any food coloring. The roses are super easy to frost and a few sugar pearls sprinkled here and there complete the look in a snap.
(Images c/o Minted.)
It goes without saying that these would be such a sweet treat to bake up for friends and loved ones on Valentine’s Day, and they would no doubt be a huge hit at classroom Valentine’s Day parties (those were the best in elementary school!). All you need is to win some gorgeous cards and you’ve got Valentine’s Day in the bag! I’ve been a big fan of Minted ever since I came across their designer paper products a year ago, and I’ve actually purchased business cards from them which I LOVE. I’m so excited that one of you will get a chance to own some of their products for free! One reader will win $100 credit for Minted. Valentine’s Day Cards with 3-day shipping included. You can use the Rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway, which is open until midnight PST on Wednesday, January 29th. You can earn lots of entries for this giveaway, so go for it and good luck!
Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
Ingredients
Double Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 1/8 ounces (1/3 cup) dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 6 ounces (3/4 cup) hot coffee
- 5 1/4 ounces (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 3 1/8 ounces (3/4 cup) bread flour, spoon and level
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 7/8 ounces (6 tablespoons) canola/vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 ounces (1/2 cup) bittersweet (or semisweet) chocolate chips, chopped
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 1/4 ounces (1 1/4 cups) chopped fresh strawberries
- 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 14 ounces (3 1/2 cups) confectioner’s (powdered) sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- heavy pinch of salt
- pearl sprinkles, optional
Instructions
Note:
- To save time, start steps 1-3 of the frosting while baking and cooling the cupcakes. The strawberry purée should then be ready to use once the cupcakes have cooled and are ready for frosting.
Double Chocolate Cupcakes
- Combine the cocoa powder and 3 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate in a large bowl. Pour the coffee on top and whisk together until smooth. Refrigerate until no longer warm (about 20 minutes).
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin or line with cupcakes liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, bread flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisk in the chopped chocolate chips.
- Add the vegetable oil, eggs, white vinegar, and vanilla extract to the cooled coffee mixture and whisk together until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir together gently just until evenly combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups – each will be about 3/4 full or slightly more. Bake in the preheated oven for 17-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean or with just a couple small crumbs.
- Cool cupcakes in pan for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Sprinkle the granulated sugar over the chopped strawberries in a bowl. Toss together and let sit for 1 hour to allow the sugar to pull out the juices from the strawberries.
- Transfer the strawberry mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan.
- Bring strawberry mixture to a simmer over medium heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat as needed to maintain simmer. Once done, the mixture should have reduced substantially and be fairly thick. Allow to cool completely.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a bowl with a handheld electric mixer), cream together the butter and cooled strawberry purée until completely smooth, wiping down the bowl and beater as need. Add the cream cheese and continue to beat until smoothly incorporated, again wiping down bowl/beater as necessary.
- Add the confectioner’s sugar in parts, beating in on low speed until incorporated and then increasing speed to whip frosting until smooth. Beat in the vanilla and salt.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip (I used Ateco 846). Starting at the center of each cupcake, pipe in a spiral out towards the edge to create a rose. Top cupcakes with a few pearl sprinkles if desired.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container. For short term storage (a few hours) they can be stored at room temperature, but for longer storage they should be kept in the refrigerator.
Chocolate Cupcakes Adapted From: Cook’s Illustrated, Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting is a Confessions of a Bright-Eyed Baker Original
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Consuelo @ Honey & Figs says
These are some of the most adorable cupcakes I’ve ever seen! That frosting sounds utterly perfect, and the color is beautiful! I think I’ve fallen in love with these babies ;–)
Have a wonderful week! xx
alexandra says
Aww thanks so much Consuelo – so sweet!
Have a fab week yourself. :)
Jess says
Omg, these look amazing! Love your photos- I really must try these! :)
alexandra says
Thanks Jess! The frosting alone is worth trying – SO good!
Mary Frances says
The color of that frosting is gorgeous! Can I just eat that with a spoon??? Your photos are also beautiful; love the contrast of the dark cupcake and pink frosting. Seriously, your photos are so calming, with the colors and the cupcakes … and that is a little deep ;) Moving on! Love love love these cupcakes!
alexandra says
Haha; the truth is, it’s super hard not to eat it with a spoon! Thank you so so much for the sweet compliments!
Jodee Weiland says
These cupcakes look absolutely delicious! I love chocolate and cream cheese frosting as well. I have to make these for Valentine’s Day as a gift to myself!
Ashley says
These cupcakes sound awesome – love the sound of that cream cheese strawberry frosting! And those pretty doilies – just gorgeous in the photos!
alexandra says
I remember that you made that strawberry frosting a while back, so I’m sure you would love this frosting! It’s the best part. :) Thanks Ashley!
Shannon Baas says
You’re a hit.
erin says
Those cupcakes look so good :) and I love minted cards!!
Shannon says
Love Day Foil Pressed is my favorite, what a treat!
Amy says
I’m a HUGE baseball fan, so the baseball card (“Valentine, you’re a hit!”) one melts my heart!
Amy says
I needed to leave a separate comment (other than the entry to your fabulous giveaway) because OH MY GOODNESS I am in love with all of your props!! Your photos always look so classy and elegant. Where did you find your napkins, backdrops, and everything else you’ve ever used?? ;)
alexandra says
Haha thanks Amy! I’ve made all of my backdrops and the napkins I have are from random places, mostly Sur la Table when they go on clearance, but also wherever I happen to see something I like. :) The one in the photo was actually something I have from my mom – not sure where it came from originally!
Amy says
Those little inherited pieces are the best! What wood did you use for creating your backdrops? I’m having difficulties finding lighter pieces that are easier to work with. Do you have any tutorials too? Thanks so much for your help Alexandra! :)
alexandra says
For the board in these photos and a couple of others I have, I think I used strips of 1/4″ thick pine. I double-sided it though, so it ends up being 1/2″ thick. For those I followed this tutorial from Love and Olive Oil which was super helpful. I’ve also bought a 3/4″ thick solid wood board like you can see in these photos and these and I basically followed the same painting technique as with the others.I like making them larger because it allows more space for photos at different angles, so they aren’t exactly a breeze to move around, but it’s not a biggie.
Tracie Trump says
Love Valentine Your a Hit!, my fb is T Michelle Trump, my twitter is @tmt121172 and my pinterest is Tracie Trump
Paula Michele Hafner says
I like the Puppy Love Classroom Valentine’s Day Cards.
LaCindaB says
I like the Sunset Valentine’s card. And I love your recipe and photos, so pretty!
Rosanne says
I like Striped Love Valentine’s Day cards
Mere says
Here is my fav http://www.minted.com/product/foil-pressed-valentine-cards/MIN-NX1-VFS/sealed-with-a-kiss
“sealed with a kiss”
I love that it is simple and had foil. so cute!
Fran B says
Looks delicious!
Tari Lawson says
I like the heart and arrow classroom card.
Stephen Saunders says
I like the modern hearts card. Great looking recipe btw!
Cindy H says
I really like the Red Big XO cards!
robyn donnelly says
I love all the holiday cards. They are so adorable.
Cheryl B. says
I like the Puppy love Valentines.
sandra says
i like the Complete Love Valentine’s Day Cards
Kimberly Morgan says
I lurve Minted!! The Hearts a Flutter card is my fave – so sweet and simple!
Jason Vaughn says
The Puppy Love Classroom card is my favorite.
Lisa P. says
I like the Purrfect Kitties Classroom Valentine’s Day Cards.
Amanda Kinder says
I really like the Gone Dotty Valentine’s Day Cards. It’s pretty!
sathya priya says
Oh Ur clicks are taking me away .def this cake is worth the try …hmm i can smell something …Its the cake ?
Tammie Venne says
heart snapshot mix
sathya priya says
I love cat cards ..
Michelle Hamilton says
I like BE MINE VALENTINE, and CANDY STRIPE.
Jenna M Osborne says
I like the Love is In The Air card
ELIZABETH C. says
I love the…..You make me smile Classroom Valentine’s Day Card. So cute !!
beth says
the purrfect kitties one
susan smoaks says
i would love to get the moving announcements.
PAIGE CHANDLER says
I like the Work of Art Valentines Card
Samantha says
I love the Sealed with a Kiss Foil-Pressed Valentine’s Day Cards!
Deb says
I like the “Off the Chart” card.
dina says
they look lovely!
susan wiener says
luv their val. baseball card.
Kelly says
I like the happy love day postcards
R.c. says
LOVE some of Minted’s Foil Press card, especially
http://www.minted.com/product/foil-pressed-valentine-cards/MIN-NV4-VFS/hearts-aflutter?org=photo
Rachel H. says
I love the Floral Love-Foiled pressed Valentine’s Day card design! So pretty.
Jacob LaFountaine says
I like the look of the happy valentine’s day foil-pressed valentine’s day cards. Not too fancy but not so boring to throw it out immediately
Jacqueline Weiskopff says
I love the personalized Valentine Day Cards. The Indie-Designed Valentine Photo cards are beautifully done.
Kia says
I love the XOXOXOX card with the picture of the little girl. Since I just had a new baby 2 weeks ago, I think my baby girl Paija will look precious on this.
Kia says
I love the Sealed with a kiss card. Since I just had a new baby 2 weeks ago, I think my baby girl Paija will look precious on this.
Katie Roch says
I really like the Sunset Foil-Pressed Valentine’s Day Cards from Minted.
Brittney House says
The sunset valentines day card is super cute.
Peggy Mays says
I love For Her…Beyond Measure Valentine Card
Stephanie Galbraith says
I like the love bandit classroom valentine’s day cards
Sky Evans says
I like Greenery Joy!
Stephanie Larison says
I like the Live, Laugh, Love Valentine’s Day Greeting Card
Angela P says
I love the classroom valentines. They would be cute for my daughter to hand out in school. And the personalized photo cards are pretty great too.
Michelle Fosnaugh says
I love minted! My mom uses them often, my favorite card was The Lovely type. Beautiful!
Keli says
My favorite Valentines day card is the Favorite Infographic Valentine’s Day Card. It would be perfect for my honey.
Jaime Cummings says
I really like Doodle Words Valentine’s Day Cards!
Sarah says
I love the Kisses and Hugs Valentine’s Day Card!
Bena Wilbern says
I am a sucker for anything pink, so I would have to go with Handmade Love Valentine’s Day Cards by Annie Clark!
Penny Snyder says
Love the Happy Love Day Valentine’s Day Postcards
by b.wise papers
!!
Jan Hammersmith says
sealed with a kiss card
Judith R. says
My favourite is the Bold XOXO Foil-Pressed Valentine’s Day Card featuring the little girl on the front.
Cristi says
I like the Sealed with a Kiss foil cards.
lisa bolduc says
I like the Lil Baby Love Foil-Pressed Valentine’s Day Cards
Julie bolduc says
I really like thr Schooner by BusyNothings
Ella Brooks says
Sunset Foil Pressed Valentines Card
Mihaela Day says
I love the Sunset Valentine cards :)
Chelsie Howsare says
I like the floral love card featured here:
http://www.minted.com/product/valentines-day-greeting-cards/MIN-9U2-GVD/floral-love?org=photo
Tara says
Tiny Hearts Classroom Valentine’s Day Cards is my favorite.
Stephanie says
I like this one: http://www.minted.com/product/valentines-day-greeting-cards/MIN-9Q7-GVD/me-you?org=photo
Because it is simple and cutr!
Melanie Montgomery says
I like the Floral Love Valentines day postcards
Sarah Chaney says
The floral love card is so pretty
Ashley Fryer says
I love the Mermaid Classroom Valentine card
Sandi Tymchuk says
Love is in the Air Valentine’s Day card (a boy and his dog) would be loved by my husband!
H.E. DeLuna says
I like the initial heart journal cards.
Lauren-Olivia Wood says
I want the Love Bandit Valentine’s Day Cards!
brian scott says
Lovely Type Card
Laurie Bolduc-Cadieux says
The Love Bandit Classroom Valentine’s Day are so adorable
Wanda Bergman says
My favourite is: Love Day Foil-Pressed Valentine’s Day Card at http://www.minted.com/product/foil-pressed-valentine-cards/MIN-NV7-VFS/love-day?org=photo
Helisa Duplassie says
Doodle Words Valentines Day cards :)
Kim says
i love the Doodle Words Foil-Pressed Valentine’s Day Cards
VICKIE H. says
THE PUPPY LOVE VALENTINES
Allison says
Valentine you’re a hit! That’s my favorite I think.
Jerome Royce says
I like the Floral Love Valentine’s Day Greeting Card.
michael parish says
i love those cupcakes
alexandra says
Thanks Michael!
liz l says
heart party valentine’s day greeting cards is my fav
tina reynolds says
I really like the kittie cat classroom ones for my daughter to give to friends
Wendi Carroll Shifflette says
I like the Short and Sweet Valentines Day card.
Emily Morelli says
My favorite cards are the Purrfect Kitties Classroom Valentine’s Day.
Beverly searles says
The mermaid for me classroom cards would be great for my childrens classes.
Beverly Metcalf says
I like the hugs, kisses and love Foil-Pressed Valentine’s Day card. Thanks for having this contest.
alexandra says
You’re welcome!
Carl White says
I like the You’re A Hit baseball theme.
Liz Neal says
I like the Heart Party Valentine’s Day greeting card.
Sue J. says
I love the Purrfect Kitties Valentine’s Day Card!
Melissa L. says
I really like the layered heart classroom Valentine. So cute. Thanks for the giveaway1
JANET says
I like the floral LOVE valentine:)
Dawn S. says
I love the “Beyond Measure” cards!
May says
I love the Heart Party Valentine’s Day Greeting Cards!
Buddy Garrett says
The Little Dreamer is my favorite.
Gianna says
Sealed with a Kiss Foil-Pressed Valentine’s Day Cards.
Sasi says
I tried your recipe and it was a hit with my husband & kids.. Thanks a bunch for the detailed recipe! Your pictures are amazing!!!
alexandra says
I’m so glad! Thanks you Sasi!
Bianca says
How much does the frosting make? Does it make enough for 20 servings at least ?
alexandra says
The frosting should make just about the amount needed for the cupcakes, if not a bit more. There wouldn’t be enough for 20 cupcakes.
april says
Frosting question…. do you discard the liquid from the strawberries after you let the sugar sit on them?
alexandra says
Nope! The idea is just to macerate them so they soften up before blending.
Joy says
This frosting will not firm up for me. But these did turn out super delicious!
alexandra says
Did you add the full amount of powdered sugar? If you did, and if you cooked the strawberry mixture until it was thick, I’m not sure why you would have a problem with the frosting setting. I’m glad you liked them anyway, though!
Marika says
Hi! Can I use strawberry preserve instead of fresh strawberries? Fresh ones are hard to come by this time of the year.
If I wanna make the strawberry cream cheese frosting ahead of time, how long will they keep in the fridge? I come from a tropical country. Will the frosting melt immediately after leaving the fridge? Psst there any way to make it more stable? :) Thanks in advance!
alexandra says
You definitely could make a frosting with strawberry preserves and leave out the fresh strawberries and granulated sugar. You might need more/less confectioner’s sugar depending on the consistency of the frosting as you make it. More confectioner’s sugar will yield a thicker and more stable frosting, but also a sweeter frosting. For that reason, I would suggest that you use a strawberry preserve that isn’t too sweet. The frosting won’t melt when you take it out of the fridge unless it’s in very warm temperatures for a long period of time. BUT, I would pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes right away, because frosting pipes best when it is fresh. Hope that helps!
Ramisa says
Can i make this into a cake? What different do i have to do for it? Please let me know asap :)
Thank youu, and these cupcakes look delicious.
alexandra says
I haven’t tried it myself, but if you were to try the recipe as a cake, I would at least double it to make two 8″-9″ layers, and you’ll also need to extend the baking time. It’s hard to say exactly how long it would need to bake (maybe 25-35 minutes), but the toothpick test will tell you whether the cake is done.
VickyVickyVicky says
Hello, The recipe looks fabulous!
I am attempting to make them and wondered if you could clarify about the “bread flour” called for in the cake batter? See, I also bake breads with many different kinds of milled flours… So do you mean unbleached white flour? Or do you mean self rising flour, which has leaveners in it? Or something else?
Any info helps. Thank you!
Cheers,
VickyVickyVicky
alexandra says
Bread flour is labeled as bread flour, it’s pretty common and is usually available in most grocery stores. It’s not the same as regular unbleached white or self-rising. It has a higher protein content than regular flour, which helps create more gluten, typically best for baking yeast breads. You do occasionally find it in other types of recipes though, like in these cupcakes.
Allison says
Any recommendations if strawberries are put of season? I was thinking of using a good thick jam or preserves. They’re in season right now but it’s for a future project.
Allison says
Nevermind….i didn’t read enough comments!