Hey, cupcake!

Quick checklist:

Do you love chocolate?

Check.

Strawberries?

Double check.

Pretty cupcakes that make you smile when you eat them?

Then these cupcakes are for you!

Anyone who knows me understands how much I love strawberries.

No, I mean, really love strawberries! I plan a trip every year to the U-pick strawberry farm to do nothing but sit and eat for hours.

In fact, I used to tell my parents that my thumb tasted like strawberry, my excuse for years on why I continued to suck my thumb.
Oh yeah, strawberries and I go way back.

But, then I grew up and met chocolate. And the love affair began.

Some girls love chocolate and peanut butter. I respect that.

But, it doesn’t quite match the chocolate and strawberry combination.

And so, I present to you my most favorite, Valentine’s Day appropriate but perfectly acceptable any other time of the year, Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcake.

Chocolate Cupcakes

(adapted from VCTOTW)

1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons strawberry extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
1/4 cup powdered freeze-dried strawberries (see below)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, and strawberry extract to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, freeze dried strawberry powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are OK). Pour into liners, filling 3/4 of the way. Bake 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Top with Strawberry Buttercream frosting, recipe below.

Strawberry Frosting

1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine, like Earth Balance brand
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons strawberry extract
1/4 cup plain soy milk
Red food coloring, optional

Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla and soy milk, and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy. Add red food coloring and stir for desired color.

Freeze Dried Strawberries: You’ve seen these in the store, right? They add a subtle strawberry flavor, along with the extract. Plus, they don’t add extra moisture like fresh strawberries- not ideal when making fluffy cupcakes.

Place freeze dried strawberries into a high powered blender or food processor. Chop until desired texture forms. I keep a few chunks visible.

Want a variety of chocolate and strawberry? Make vanilla-strawberry cupcakes: Increase flour to 1 1/4 cups and omit the cocoa powder. Decrease strawberry extract to 1 tsp. and add 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract.