These moist chocolate hi-hat cupcakes are topped with a creamy strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream before being dunked in chocolate. Just like a chocolate covered strawberry - but so much better!
WHAT YOU NEED Chocolate Cupcakes vegetable oil granulated sugar egg vanilla extract all purpose flour unsweetened cocoa powder baking powder salt hot water Buttercream & Chocolate Coating freeze dried strawberries egg whites granulated sugar unsalted butter vanilla extract salt bittersweet chocolate vegetable oil
1. Combine the wet ingredients. Then combine the dry, and mix the wet into the dry. Divide the cupcakes between liners before baking and leaving to cool.
2. To make the buttercream, blitz the freeze dried strawberries in a food processor until you have a fine powder. 3. Fill a pot about 1/3 full of water and bring it to a simmer. Place a heat safe bowl on top of the pot. 4.Whisk together the egg whites and sugar. Keep whisking occasionally and heat until it reaches 160F.
5. Pour the mixture into a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Run the mixer on high to create that meringue texture. You should be left with a silky and marshmallowy meringue with stiff peaks. 6. Turn the mixer down to medium speed. Drop in your room temperature butter, one cube at a time, only adding the next when the cube prior is mixed in.
7. Mix in the freeze dried strawberry powder, vanilla, and salt. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.
8. Make tall swirls that are larger at the bottom and smaller at the top by applying even pressure to the piping bag. Transfer them to the freezer for 20 minutes.
9.Combine the chocolate and oil. Microwave until smooth. 10. Invert your cupcakes upside down and dunk the frosting swirls right into the chocolate. Allow some of the chocolate to drip off by holding it over the chocolate for a couple seconds, then quickly flip it back over. 11. Transfer the cupcakes to the fridge for about 20 minutes for the shells to harden, then dig in.