Valentine Cupcakes Recipe (Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Chocolate Meringue Buttercream)

Delight your family with this charming Valentine's cupcakes. Watch how happy loved ones will be when you show your sweet side!💖 INGREDIENTS for 12 standard cupcakes 1/3 cup (70 g) coconut oil/ vegetable oil ¾ cup hot water 1.5 cup (220 g) all-purpose flour ½ cup (50 g) cocoa powder 1 tsp (6 g) baking soda ½ teaspoon (3 g) baking powder ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt 1 cup (200 g) sugar 1 large egg (50 g) 2/3 cup (150 ml) buttermilk (or whole milk with 1 tsp of lemon juice) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the standard muffin tin with paper liner and set aside. 2. Combine coconut oil with hot water 3. Sift the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt) into a bowl and set aside. 4. In another bowl, add together sugar, egg, buttermilk vanilla extract and whisk until combined (electric mixer for one minute). 5. Add the dry ingredient and stir. Then add the coconut water mixture and stir until fully combined together. 6. Transfer the batter to the prepared cupcakes liner, filling each ¾ full. Do not fill it full because the cupcakes will rise during baking. You will have a bit of extra batter left. 7. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the tooth pick inserted into the cake come out clean. 8. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack to cool down completely. Cupcakes will shrink a bit after cooling so it will be just the right height to decorate the topping. Strawberry Chocolate Meringue Buttercream (*Make about 5 cup - enough for any piping patterns. If you don’t need that much, you can reduce the recipe to half) 1 cup strawberry puree (strained) 1 cup good quality white chocolate, melted and cooled to 85°F (30°C) 5 large egg whites, room temperature 1 cup (200 g) sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1.5 cup butter (3 sticks or 340 g) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature (not cold) Strawberry for decoration (cut in half) Fruit Glaze (see below) 1. Melt the chocolate over a pot of simmering water. Let it cool to room temperature. 2. In a large heatproof bowl, combine egg whites, sugar and salt. 3. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water, whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 158°F (70°C), about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth. 4. Remove bowl from heat. With an electric mixer, whisk the warm egg mixture on medium/ high speed until it is creamy and has a consistency of shaving cream (soft peaks at about 5-7 minutes). 5. Add butter, 1-2 pieces at a time, and whip until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. 6. Add strawberry puree and chocolate. Whip until combined. If frosting is too soft, refrigerate briefly and stir again before used. 7. Pipe on top of the cupcakes and serve. NOTES: 1. To save time, you may use strawberry powder instead of strawberry puree. I usually add 3-4 tablespoons after adding butter (after Step #5). 2. After adding all the butter, if the mixture still looks curdled/ too thick, it can be solved by microwaving the buttercream for 30-60 seconds or put it on top of a broiler (a pot of simmering water) for 1 minute. Then, stir for 1 minutes and the mixture will look smooth again. This usually happens in winter when the egg white cools down very fast and the butter is still too cold. 3. Glazing Options. Once the strawberry is cut, glaze is needed to preserve the freshness or it will dry out very fast. You may use one of the following ideas: 1. Mirror Glaze Link. https://amzn.to/3sW6N0i (Add a bit of water and microwave for a few seconds. Stir and apply.) 2. Strawberry jam. Microwave the jam and a bit of water for a few seconds. Stir and apply. 3. Clear Glaze Link. https://amzn.to/39Wj25P I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you like the video, please click like and subscribe. Thank you for watching!