Tuxedo Cupcakes

Tuxedo cupcakes: perfect for a special occasion! You’ll love the dark chocolate and whipped cream combo, and the chocolate covered strawberries are so cute!

Good morning my friend! Can you believe it’s February? I’m so glad January is over, lol! Now we have Valentine’s Day to look forward to, and I think these Tuxedo cupcakes would make a perfect treat!

Don’t they look adorable all lined up and dressed in their very best? Those chocolate-dipped strawberries are everything. They add so much pizzazz to these tuxedo cupcakes!

I’m sure you’ve heard of tuxedo cake, right? Dark chocolate cake and chocolate ganache, layered with fluffy whipped cream? Well, this is the cupcake version. I think they’d be perfect for any kind of special occasion really, but I thought the best time of year to share them would be right as Valentine’s Day is approaching.

It all starts with my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe. This recipe just keeps on giving. So many amazing chocolate cupcake iterations have come out of this one simple recipe. I love it because it’s so moist and chocolate-y, and so simple to make. You only have to dirty up one bowl!

Just check out the comments if you don’t believe me. You’ll see a lot of “I will never make another chocolate cupcake recipe again’s.” 😉

Once the cupcakes have cooled, just drop a dollop of rich chocolate ganache on top. This really takes the chocolate flavor to the next level!

Next comes a generous swirl of whipped cream frosting. You’ll love this frosting because it’s so light and fluffy, and it’s a little more stable than just plain whipped cream. It has a bit of cream cheese to keep it that way, and the powdered sugar helps a lot too. That said, if you’re thinking of making these ahead, I would do everything but the frosting. It’s really best when it’s freshly made!

Those strawberries though! They are really the crowning touch to these tuxedo cupcakes. You’ll need two kinds of melted chocolate: white and dark. Grab the berry by the stem/leaves, and dip it almost all the way up in white chocolate. Let that harden, and then create one “lapel” by grasping the top again, and leaning the berry to one side, while dipping in dark chocolate. Do the same on the other side, and then pipe the buttons and bow ties using a pastry bag fitted with a #1 tip. So stinkin’ cute!

Hope you find a fun occasion to make these tuxedo cupcakes! If you do, I’d love to hear all about it. Leave me a comment below!

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Tuxedo Cupcakes

Tuxedo cupcakes: perfect for a special occasion! You'll love the dark chocolate and whipped cream combo, and the chocolate covered strawberries are so cute!

Yield: 32 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the chocolate cupcakes:

1½ cups granulated sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

½ cup cake flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

4 eggs

1 cup greek yogurt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the ganache:

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup heavy cream

For the whipped cream frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese (the kind in a brick)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups heavy whipping cream (cold)

For the chocolate covered strawberry garnish:

16 ounces white chocolate, melted

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted

32 fresh strawberries

Directions:

To make the chocolate cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a cupcake pan with papers.

Place the first 7 (dry) ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Mix in the butter on low speed, until the mixture resembles moist crumbs. Stir in the eggs,one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula after each addition. Add the Greek yogurt and vanilla, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to be sure all the ingredients are well-combined. Beat on medium speed for 60 to 90 seconds, to aerate the batter and build the cake's structure.

Fill lined cupcake wells just over half full (approx. ¼ cup of batter), and bake for 15 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Cool completely before topping with ganache.

To make the ganache:

Place the chopped chocolate in a small mixing bowl. Heat the cream until just barely simmering, then pour it over the chocolate and allow to stand for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir with a spatula until smooth, then top each cupcake with about a tablespoon of the ganache, spreading in an even layer. Top with whipped cream frosting.

To make the whipped cream frosting:

Place the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Fit the mixer with a whisk attachment, and whip on medium speed until the mixture is smooth. Turn the mixer down to medium-low speed and pour the heavy cream down the side of the bowl in a very slow and steady stream. When all the cream has been added, turn the mixer up to medium-high and whip until the cream can hold stiff peaks. Using a pastry bag fitted with a 1M tip, pipe the whipped cream frosting onto the ganache-topped cupcakes in large swirls. Garnish with a chocolate covered strawberry.

To make the chocolate covered strawberries:

Pull the strawberry leaves up gently and grasp the strawberry by the leaves and stem. Dip the strawberry in the melted white chocolate, nearly up to the stem. Allow the excess to drip off, then place the coated strawberries on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes.

In the same manner as above, grasp the white chocolate coated strawberry by the leaves and stem. Dip into the semi-sweet melted chocolate on a sideways angle. Repeat on the other side, and allow the excess to drip off. Place the coated strawberries back on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Transfer the remaining melted semi-sweet chocolate to a pastry bag fitted with a 1 tip. Pipe a small "x," connecting the sides to create a bowtie shape. Pipe two small dots to resemble buttons.