Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

I originally published this recipe in 2018 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips. If you adore chocolate covered strawberries—biting into rich dark chocolate with a juicy strawberry inside—this cupcake recipe is for you. We’re taking the most chocolatey chocolate cupcake and topping it with soft, fudge-like chocolate ganache. And hidden inside is the sweet surprise of fluffy strawberry buttercream. These are just like my top-rated chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting and cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, but with a strawberry twist. SO GOOD! Make the buttercream filling with freeze-dried strawberries, the same way we make the frosting for my homemade strawberry cake. (And actually these festive Valentine’s Day cupcakes too!) This is the best way to get REAL strawberry flavor… no artificial flavor here!

Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

Extra soft & moist chocolate cupcakes, not dense or dry at all Extreme chocolate flavor; hot liquid “blooms” the cocoa Sweet, fluffy strawberry cream in the center, made with freeze-dried strawberries Rich, fudge-like chocolate topping is just 2 ingredients: chocolate and cream No piping tips or special decorating skills needed for these natural beauties

And if you love these flavors for breakfast, be sure to try these chocolate covered strawberry muffins!

3 Parts to This Recipe

Even for a decorated cupcake, the process is still pretty straightforward: Make the cupcakes, make the ganache, make the filling. Carve a little hole in the center of the cooled cupcakes, fill with buttercream, and spread cooled ganache on top.

Make the Chocolate Cupcakes First

You don’t even need a mixer for this step, just grab a sturdy whisk. You’ll simply whisk together the dry ingredients, whisk together the wet ingredients, then pour wet into dry and add the hot coffee (or water). Spoon/pour the batter into a muffin pan lined with cupcake liners—you should have enough batter to make 15 cupcakes, so you will either need 2 muffin pans or you can bake them in 2 batches. Fill the liners about 2/3 full. If you use the batter to make fewer than 15 cupcakes, you are overfilling the lined cups and your cupcakes will spill over the sides. You want them to bake up nice and flat on top. Optional step: When the cupcakes are completely—or nearly completely—cool, place them in the refrigerator for 20–30 minutes to make them a bit easier to carve into and fill. And now… is there any topping more rich and indulgent-tasting than chocolate ganache? By the way, if you’re looking for grownup Valentine’s Day dessert recipes, feel free to kick things up a notch by using red wine chocolate ganache as the topping for these chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes instead; or try the chocolate raspberry ganache from this chocolate raspberry cake. Heat the cream, pour over chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl, let sit for a few minutes to soften the chocolate, and then slowly stir until the chocolate has all melted. The mixture won’t seem to combine at first (left photo below), but keep stirring. Let it cool and thicken for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator:

Make the Strawberry Buttercream Filling

This is basically my strawberry buttercream frosting recipe, but scaled down to make the right amount to fill these chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes. Start by grinding the freeze-dried strawberries into a powder, either in a food processor or blender: Tip: Do not use “dried strawberries,” which have a chewy/gummy texture like raisins or dried apricots. They won’t grind into a powder. You need freeze-dried strawberries, which have all of the moisture removed. They’re the same strawberries you need to make these strawberry and cream cookies. You also need room-temperature butter, sifted confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla. Taste and add a pinch of salt if it’s too sweet. Now you’re ready to…

Fill & Assemble the Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

This can get a little messy because the cupcakes are oh-so-soft and moist. That’s fine, you’re covering up the mess with ganache. Spread it on top:

Optional Garnishes

For a finishing touch, I love to top these cupcakes with a strawberry heart. Watch this video for how to cut strawberries into hearts. I rounded off the top of the heart and cut each into thin slices to top the cupcakes. A simple but elegant garnish! You could also top the ganache with sprinkles before it sets, or add a chocolate-dipped strawberry. And if you have any leftover strawberry buttercream, you can spoon it into a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip (like Wilton #6) and pipe a heart or letter on top.