For the longest time Eve, my soon to be 10 year old, has been begging, nagging, pleading with me to make her some dark chocolate and strawberry cupcakes . . .
With her big 10th birthday just a few days away (somebody hold me) I figured it was the perfect time!
And now, I’m kicking myself for waiting so long . . .
You guys, these cupcakes are next level delicious and you need them in your life because, yummmmmmm
Think super fudgy, decadent and rich German chocolate cake infused with just a hint of strawberry.
The slightly tart sweetness of our freeze dried strawberries cuts through the richness of the dark chocolate so perfectly. They really are all kinds of incredible!
FYI – The reason I decided to use freeze dried strawberries instead of fresh is because I found using fresh had inconsistent results in both flavor and texture. Sometimes the cupcakes turned out super soggy, (and no one wants a soggy cupcake!) then other times the strawberry flavor just didn’t shine through as much as I wanted.
Enter freeze dried strawberries . . .
All the flavor, minus the sog! Victory never tasted so sweet.
Chocolate and strawberry is such a classic combination and these cute little cupcakes just confirm how incredible that dynamic duo really is.
Speaking of incredible . . .
Did I mention that dreamy {dairy free} dark chocolate ganache frosting?!
Insert all the heart eye emojis, here . . .
I seriously want to slather that stuff over my entire life!
It’s silky smooth, luscious and creamy and just well, absolutely delicious!
Although, saying it’s delicious doesn’t even come close to doing it the justice it deserves . . .
And I know making ganache sounds a little fancy and kind of intimidating, at least it did to me but, hear me when I say, you can do this!
If you can hold and spoon and stir then you can absolutely, 100%, without a doubt make this! You know how clumsy and accident prone I am, if I can do it, anyone can!
Honestly, the hardest part about making these cupcakes is having the self control not the devour the entire batch in one sitting. Not that I would know anything about that . . . or would I?! . . .
Which is another reason why I love this recipe, because it makes just 6 standard size cupcakes so it’s perfect for those moments when you just want a cupcake (or 2) but don’t want to bother, or can’t be trusted with ( ← we’ve all been there! ) an entire batch of 12-24!
Made with just a handful of ingredients that I bet you have on hand already and comes together in one bowl, with one spoon and can be ready to devour in less than 30 minutes!
Gluten Free – Dairy free – Grain free – Refined sugar free – Low carb – Paleo – Keto & Vegan friendly !!
All natural, quick and easy, decadent , rich, deliciously indulgent, dark chocolate strawberry cupcakes with a creamy, dreamy, dark chocolate ganache frosting . . .
100% worth it!
Make them. Eat them. Love, love, them.
Dark Chocolate Strawberry Mud Cakes
- Cook Time: 15-20 mins
- Persons: 6-9
- Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
For the muffins –
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk – or milk of choice
3/4 C almond flour
1 Tbsp coconut flour
1/4 C cacao
1/4 C golden monk fruit sweetener – or coconut sugar / granulated sweetener of choice
1/4 C chocolate covered freeze-dried strawberries *
1/2-1 tsp instant coffee
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt
For the frosting –
1 C dark chocolate (chips or chopped)
1 C coconut (or regular) cream
1/2 tsp finely ground instant espresso – I use Before you speak coffee
A pinch of salt
Instructions
1 – Pre-heat oven to 175’C/350’F
2 – Line a muffin tray (or grease well) then set aside.
3 – Place all muffin ingredients into a small bowl and stir until well combined.
4 – Spoon muffin mix into your prepared muffin tray (I love to use an ice cream scoop for less mess & ensure equal batter distribution).
5 – Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops spring back when lightly pressed.
6 – Set aside to cool while you make your frosting.
7 – To make the frosting –
8 – Place chocolate into a small bowl and set aside.
9 – Place cream into a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, heat til steaming but not boiling.
8 – Pour heated cream over your chocolate, add a pinch of salt and allow it to sit untouched for a minute.
9 – Sit until smooth, creamy and well combined.
9 – Cool til spreadable – you can speed this up by popping it into the freezer for 5.
10 – Slather muffins
11 – Enjoy xo
* I love using these dark chocolate covered freeze dried strawberries that I just buy from Naked foods organic health food store – LOVEEMMA = 20% off all online orders!! – You “can” use plain freeze dried strawberries (which you can just buy at the supermarket or health food store) then add a handful of choc chips to the batter if you prefer but Naked foods chocolate covered strawberries are IN-CRDIBLE!!.
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Question of the day –
What’s your favorite flavor cupcake ?
Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make your cupcakes (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring remember.
Do it, do it You know you want to
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