Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
If chocolate-covered strawberries were a cupcake, these chocolate strawberry cupcakes would be it. Rich chocolate cupcakes filled with sweet strawberry filling, swirled with strawberry buttercream frosting, and decorated with chocolate ganache and freeze-dried strawberries. A cupcake that’s equal parts dreamy and decadent.
Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
Some desserts whisper, but these chocolate strawberry cupcakes show up with a boombox held over their head.
Rich chocolate cupcakes are filled with sweet strawberry filling and topped with strawberry buttercream, a silky chocolate ganache drizzle, and freeze-dried strawberries for a grand-gesture-level dessert moment..
These cupcakes are indulgent, nostalgic, and perfectly dramatic, like an 80s love story served on a dessert plate—after all, “I gave her my heart, and she gave me chocolate strawberry cupcakes.”
So cue up the mixtape, turn up “In Your Eyes,” and bake a dessert that says everything without saying a word.
If these cupcakes make you want to hoist a boombox, check out my chocolate raspberry cupcakes, strawberry cupcakes, and chocolate cupcakes.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Decadent & romantic: Inspired by chocolate-covered strawberries, these cupcakes are rich, indulgent, and perfect for special occasions.
- Moist chocolate cupcakes: The chocolate cake bakes up soft, tender, and deeply chocolatey in every bite.
- Balanced flavors: Sweet strawberry filling and buttercream perfectly complement the rich chocolate without being overpowering.
- Beautiful appearance: With a chocolate ganache drizzle and freeze-dried strawberries, these cupcakes look bakery-worthy and visually stunning.
- Celebration-worthy: Perfect for Valentine’s Day, special occasions, or anytime you want a truly impressive dessert.
Recipe Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Semisweet chocolate chips
- Dark or dutch process cocoa powder
- Boiling water
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking soda + salt
- Eggs – Room temperature.
- Vegetable oil – Use your favorite neutral baking oil.
- Vanilla extract
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar
- Strawberry reduction – Room temperature. Learn how to make strawberry reduction here.
- Heavy cream – Room temperature.
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
Additional Components
- Strawberry filling – Use store-bought or make your own homemade strawberry filling.
- Chocolate ganache – Semisweet chocolate + heavy cream.
- Freeze-dried strawberries
How to Make Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
Make the chocolate cupcake batter.
Fill the cupcake liners with the chocolate cupcake batter.
Bake and cool the chocolate cupcakes.
Make the strawberry buttercream frosting.
Remove the center of the cupcakes with an apple corer.
Fill the cupcakes with the strawberry filling.
Use a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip to frost the cupcakes with the strawberry buttercream frosting.
Drizzle the cupcakes with the chocolate ganache and decorate with freeze-dried strawberries.
Courtney’s Expert Cupcake Baking Tips
- Use dark or dutch-process cocoa powder for the richest chocolate flavor and deep color.
- Use a liquid measuring cup to easily fill the cupcake liners as the cupcake batter is thin.
- Make the strawberry reduction and strawberry filling ahead of time and keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Bring the reduction to room temperature before making the frosting.
- Use an apple corer to remove the center of the cupcakes before filling.
- To make super smooth frosting, temper the buttercream. Heat ½ cup of the frosting in the microwave for about 20 seconds to melt it slightly. Then, add the melted buttercream back to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed for several minutes.
- Drizzle the chocolate ganache onto the frosted cupcakes using a piping bag or a squeeze bottle for easy control. Make sure the ganache is at room temperature so it doesn’t melt the frosting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Strawberry reduction is a concentrated strawberry sauce made from cooking, pureeing, and straining frozen strawberries. It adds intense strawberry flavor and a beautiful pink color. Make the strawberry reduction up to 1 week in advance.
This is normal! Just keep whipping for several minutes until it comes together. We are adding a water-based substance (strawberry reduction) to a fat-based substance (butter) and that takes a lot of whipping to emulsify. The temperature of the ingredients can also cause this to happen.
Use an apple corer to remove the center of the cupcake. If you don’t have an apple corer, use a paring knife or a piping tip to remove the center. Use a piping bag to easily fill the center of the cupcake.
Yes! If you don’t want to make homemade strawberry filling, you could use store-bought strawberry jam or strawberry preserves.
No, for strawberry reduction and filling, the seeds are so small, you won’t even notice them. You can run the reduction or filling through a fine mesh strainer if you would like to, but I don’t think it makes that much of a difference.
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Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- ¼ cup (22 g) dark or dutch-process cocoa powder
- ¼ cup (45 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup (180 ml) boiling water
- ¾ cup (94 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) baking soda
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 2 (2) large eggs (room temperature)
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
Strawberry Filling
- 6 oz (170 g) frozen strawberries
- 2 tbsp (24 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) lemon juice
- 1 tbsp (8 g) cornstarch
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) water
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (36 g) strawberry reduction (click here for the recipe)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) heavy cream (room temperature)
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
Chocolate Ganache
- ¼ cup (45 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) heavy cream
Additional Ingredients
- ¼ cup (60 g) freeze-dried strawberries
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the dark cocoa/dutch-process cocoa powder, semisweet chocolate chips, and boiling water until the chocolate chips are melted. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pour in the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until well combined. Add in the vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract, and whisk until the cupcake batter is well combined and smooth (the batter will be thin).
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners, filling about ⅔-¾ full. Use a large liquid measuring cup or a bowl with a spout to easily fill the liners.
- Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes bounce back slightly when gently touched. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Strawberry Filling
- In a small saucepan, combine the frozen strawberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over medium-low heat stirring occasionally until the strawberries are broken down and the mixture is bubbling. Mash the strawberries with a wooden spoon to break them up.
- In a small separate bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water until smooth.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the cornstarch slurry and mix well until the mixture thickens. Transfer the strawberry filling to a heat-proof bowl and cool to room temperature. If making ahead, store the strawberry filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- Before making the buttercream, make the strawberry reduction. You can make the strawberry reduction up to a week in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring the reduction to room temperature before making the buttercream.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, whip the room temperature unsalted butter for 5 minutes until light, pale, and creamy.
- Add in half of the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed until the sugar is combined with the butter. Add the remaining half of the powdered sugar and continue to mix on low speed until fully combined.
- Add in the strawberry reduction and mix on low speed until fully combined with the butter mixture. Then, add in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt, and continue to mix on low speed until combined and smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and whip the buttercream for about 3 to 5 minutes until it is smooth and creamy. If the buttercream looks split or curdled, this is normal, just continue to whip until it emulsifies and turns smooth and creamy. Then, turn the mixer to low speed and mix the buttercream for several minutes to remove air bubbles.
- Optional: To smooth out the buttercream, melt 1 cup of the frosting in the microwave for 15 seconds. Pour the melted frosting back into the mixing bowl and mix the frosting on low speed until the buttercream is super smooth and creamy.
Chocolate Ganache
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat the semisweet chocolate chips and heavy cream in the microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until the chocolate is melted and the ganache is smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Use an apple corer to remove the center of the chocolate cupcakes. Plunge the corer about ⅔ of the way down the cupcake, twist, and remove the cake.
- Fill a piping bag with the strawberry filling and pipe the filling into the center of the cupcakes.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M piping tip with strawberry buttercream frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of the strawberry buttercream onto the filled cupcakes.
- Use a piping bag or squeeze bottle to drizzle the cooled chocolate ganache over the strawberry frosting and decorate the cupcakes with freeze-dried strawberries.
Notes
- Room temperature: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day.
- Refrigerator: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
Nutrition
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
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