Chocolate Cupcakes filled with Strawberry Chocolate Ganache, Frosted with Chocolate Ganache Glaze and a Vanilla Buttercream Icing is Piped on Top

I am sitting in my kitchen, trying to convince myself how homemade pasta would be perfect for dinner to night. So what do we do? Bake cupcakes!The recipe has been printed out and waiting to be brought to life since first read at Chockylit's blog site called Cupcake Bakeshop. Click on her blog link to see the original recipe. The woman is brilliant and always trying new flavor combinations.

The cupcakes may sound intimidating but they are not. We start with the chocolate cupcake batter and bake. While baking, we make a ganache, splitting the mixture in half, adding diced strawberries to one half and letting the other half sit and thicken. This will be both your filling and frosting. All that is left is to make the vanilla bean icing, assemble and enjoy~!

Chocolate Cupcakes filled with Strawberry Chocolate Ganache, Frosted with Chocolate Ganache Glaze and a Vanilla Buttercream Icing is Piped on Top

Chocolate Cupcakes
~Makes 7 regular cupcakes

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temp
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup high quality unsweetened cocoa powder (I also used Valrhona cocoa powder)
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

2 Add egg and beat until well combined.

3. Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a small sized bowl and whisk to combine.

4. Measure out the milk and vanilla and stir to combine

5. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.

6. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 2/3’s full. Bake cupcakes for about 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Strawberry Ganache Filling and Ganache Glaze
4.5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (I used Callebaut)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
1/3 cup strawberries, diced
Directions:
1. Chop chocolate and transfer into a heat proof bowl.
2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream over the chocolate.
3. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.
4. Add vanilla and salt. Stir until combined.
5. Divide the ganache in two approximate equal portions. In the first portion, mix in the chopped strawberries. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill.
6. Leave the second portion on the counter to cool down. You want the filling to thicken up before the glaze. Once the filling is think, fill the cupcakes with it. Then glaze with the glaze.
See assembly instructions below.Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy.
2. Add the milk, vanilla extract, and 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat at low speed, occasionally stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, until light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar to arrive at the consistency and sweetness you like.

Assemble

1. Fill the cupcakes with the strawberry ganache filling using the cone method.

2. Spoon a tablespoon of glaze on each filled cupcake and smooth.

3. Top with buttercream frosting and a strawberry.