Thursday, February 10, 2011

Strawberry Brownie Ripple Cupcakes


Well, the count down to V-Day is on! Good thing I blew that diet so I could make these cupcakes for y’all. Oh, the things I do for my blog.  LOL!

I think being such a healthy eater over the last month made me lose all self respect when I began concocting the recipe I’m sharing today. Mr. Sweets has been insisting that pinecones are probably the equivalent of my recent healthy fare. Ahh, he's just not up for change. And technically, I think horse feed would be the more appropriate comparison:)

So, when I finally took a day to ditch all that 'horsefeed' this week, I created a strawberry cupcake with a brownie ripple in the middle. Unbelievably good and terribly sinful. Kinda reminds you of a chocolate covered strawberry. I’m sure your Sweetie would love to have a couple dozen of these if you decided to forgo the traditional box of candy.

You could make these with any flavor cake mix, but the strawberry looked so sweet and Valentiney. If you still wanted the color, but not strawberry flavor. You could just tint a white cake mix pink. Or if you think about it next month, you could tint the cake mix green for St. Patrick’s Day. Whichever you choose, to achieve the 'ripple', just run a toothpick or skewer around in the unbaked cupcake and you'll get something like this:


For the frosting, I just settled on a simple buttercream, but it would probably be killer with a cream cheese frosting too!

Enjoy!
  
Strawberry Brownie Ripple Cupcakes

 Strawberry Layer
 Ingredients:
1(18 oz) Box Strawberry Cake Mix 
1/3 cup greek yogurt (or plain yogurt)
1 c. water
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
*Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

Brownie Layer
Ingredients:
1 Box Family Size Brownie Mix (for 9x13pan)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
*Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

Directions:
Line Muffin Pans with cupcake liners (recipe make apprx. 30 cupcakes). With a medium cookie scoop (or a tablespoon), scoop 2 level scoops of strawberry mixture into each cupcake liner. With a small cookie scoop (or a teaspoon), scoop 2 level scoops of brownie mixture on top of strawberry mixture. Top brownie mixture with another scoop of strawberry mixture. Using a toothpick or skewer, make a few zip zags through unbaked cupcakes to create swirls. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes. Cool completely. Frost with Buttercream frosting (Recipe follows)

Vanilla Buttercream Icing:
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup shortening
1 pound powdered sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder or 2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
milk as needed for consistency
Directions
1. With the paddle attachment and your stand-type mixer, beat the butter, shortening, powdered sugar, and meringue powder/egg whites together.
2. Add the lemon juice and vanilla. Beat the frosting, adding enough milk to reach the desired consistency.

 


13 comments:

Brianna! said...

Wowzer:)
I'm definitely going to be trying things little babies.
Strawberry and Chocolate:)
YUM

xoxo
bB

Unknown said...

The best of both worlds! YUM!

ml said...

OH MY GOSH. T, I am going to HAVE to make these cupcakes. This may be my weekend project. :)

The Glamorous Gourmet said...

Wow those cupcakes look so good and I love the flavor combo too - would't change a thing:) They are just perfect for Valentine's Day!

Susan at www.ugogrrl.com said...

SO fun and SO festive - perfect for Valentines!

Susan www.ugogrrl.com

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Thank you for sacrificing yourself for us to test these lovely cupcakes. It's a hard job, but someone has to do it, right?

Your cupcakes are precious. Thank you for stopping by my kitchen for a visit. I hope you and Mr. Sweets have a fabulous Valentine's day.

I'm off to check out the slimmed down diet coke cake now that I see below.
Sam

Mary | Deep South Dish said...

Gracious! I totally know where you are coming from with the healthier eating. It's really hard to do when you're trying to blog about food! Everytime I think I'm gonna take it easy on the carbs, I think of a recipe I want to do for the blog. And my husband is not a veggie eater at all so he expects meat and potatoes.

What a great idea to use a strawberry cupcake but add that twist of a brownie ripple. Very clever!! And your buttercream looks scrumptious - I agree, it is the best. Have a great weekend!!

Heather S-G said...

Oh, they're so pretty! Perfect treat for this time of year...and I love your "custom" heart ;)

Victor said...

Looks so fun and delicious!

pigpigscorner said...

OMG, these are BEAUTIFUL!

claire said...

i just happened upon your blog and I am so glad I did... This looks amazing!

I live in Dallas and lord knows I love some southern cooking!

Mary Bergfeld said...

There is no mistaking what holiday these are planned for :-). They sound delicious and will disappear in no time. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina said...

These sound truly sinful and perfect for Valentines Day.....thanks for stopping by and leaving such a kind comment! Roz at la bella vita