Heart Of My Heart Chocolate Cupcakes Recipes

CHOCOLATE HEART CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with baking cups. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together sugar, cocoa, and chocolate. Whisk in cherry juice.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then continue to simmer until bubbles recede and solids on bottom of pan begin to turn golden brown, about 6 minutes. Pour into sugar mixture; whisk until well combined and chocolate has melted. Whisk in eggs, then dry ingredients.
• Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake until tops spring back when lightly touched, 22 to 24 minutes. Let cool in tin 5 minutes; transfer to wire racks and let cool completely. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 12 (this will help create clean cuts).
• Use a 1 1/2-inch heart-shaped cutter to remove a 3/4-inch-deep heart from each of 6 cupcakes (removing a bit of additional cake, if desired, to create more room for frosting). Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large, plain round tip (such as Ateco #806) with frosting. Pipe frosting to fill heart cutouts. Pipe 1/4 cup frosting on remaining cupcakes. Top frosted cupcakes with heart cutouts. Cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

SUPER MOIST CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners - this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Set aside.
• Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla together until combined. Pour half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Then half of the buttermilk. Gently whisk for a few seconds. Repeat with the remaining wet ingredients and buttermilk. Stir until *just* combined; do not overmix. The batter will be thin.
• Pour or spoon the batter into the liners. Fill only halfway (this is imperative! only halfway!) to avoid spilling over the sides or sinking.
• Bake for 18-21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting. I usually let them cool in the pan.
• Frost cooled cupcakes however you'd like. I used chocolate buttercream and Wilton 1M piping tip for these pictured cupcakes. Top with sprinkles, if desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

CHOCOLATE HEART CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 30 regular-size muffin cups. Place 1 marble in each muffin cup between paper baking cup and muffin pan so baking cup takes on heart shape.
• Make cake batter as directed on box. Fill each cup two-thirds full of batter.
• Bake 14 to 15 minutes or until tops of cupcakes bounce back when touched and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on cooling rack.
• In large bowl, beat softened butter, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla with electric mixer on high speed 3 to 4 minutes or until frosting is light and fluffy. Add food color to make desired shade of pink.
• Spread frosting on cooled cupcakes with knife or use decorating bag fitted with plain tip. Top with candy sprinkles.

HEART OF THE BATTER

Steps:

• Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
• Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the strawberry milk, beginning and ending with flour, until just combined.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
• Using a paring knife, cut a cone-shaped piece of cake out of the top of each cupcake (about the same size as the strawberries), stopping about 1/2 inch from the bottom. Stuff with the strawberries, then cover with a small piece of the removed cake.
• Make the frosting: Sift the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder into a medium bowl. Transfer half of the sugar-cocoa mixture to a large bowl; add the butter and 1/4 cup cream and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Add the remaining sugar-cocoa mixture and 1/4 cup cream and beat until fluffy. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe onto the cupcakes. Top each with a strawberry half.