Chocolate Strawberry Hi-Hat(ish) Cupcakes

I have these pretty little cupcake papers that I’ve been wanting to do something with, so I figured what better occasion than birthday cupcakes!  My friend and co-worker, Shannon, has a birthday coming up and I was also stopping by the house of a friend who is sick today.  Perfect!  This gives me people to give the cupcakes to, so they are not sitting around the house for my husband and I to eat.  🙂  I decided to create my own version of “Hi Hat Cupcakes“, although they didn’t turn out quite as pretty as I would have liked – they still tasted delicious.  I didn’t want to use the marshmallowey like frosting, so I decided to try Italian Meringue Buttercream.  Well, it was a bit more difficult than I thought it would be.  I almost scrapped the whole batch, but was able to salvage it with some extra whipping and powdered sugar.  Here is a link to the original recipe I used, from Martha Stewart’s website.  I added some strawberry puree and a few drops of food coloring to the frosting, but it turned out a runny mess.  After A LOT of whipping and re-whipping, it did finally turn out tasty, but the yield was much smaller than the recipe stated.  I will have to find another frosting-worthy occasion soon to try the Italian Meringue Buttercream again.  The strawberry frosting is perfect for this time of year, as these would make great Valentine’s Day treats!

Devil’s Food Cupcakes, Adapted from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home

makes approximately 24 cupcakes

1 1/3 cups cake flour

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 tablespoon lemon juice + 1 cup milk)

1 cups sour cream

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners.

Sift the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Stir in the salt.  Place the bowl on the mixer stand and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment.

Combine the buttermilk and sour cream in a large measuring cup or a bowl.  Stir the eggs and melted butter together in a bowl.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the buttermilk and egg mixtures alternately, scraping down the sides often to prevent any lumps in the mixture.

Divide the batter among the lined cupcake cups.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Rotate the pan and bake for another 10 minutes, or until a cake tester or a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.  Remove the cupcakes from the tins and let cool to room temperature on a cooling rack.

I piped the frosting with a large round tip, but I think next time I’ll just use the coupler.  This way it give the frosting more of a “DQ cone” appearance.  Make sure the cupcakes are cooled before frosting, then put them in the freezer for 30 minutes before dipping.  To dip, heat 2 cups of chocolate chips (I used the Ghiradelli 65% cocoa chips) and 3 tablespoons of canola oil (to keep it thin enough to dip).  Transfer melted chocolate to a small cup, but deep enough to dip your hi hats.  Feel free to play around with the frosting and cake flavors.  The combinations are endless!