Strawberry Covered Chocolate Cupcakes

How about some pretty, spring-y cupcakes. All my flowers are blooming so it seems appropriate! These would be perfect for a spring birthday party.

Don’t be intimidated by my awesome flowers and bees. I can be sort of awesome. If you can’t fathom taking the time to decorate your cupcakes like these, they will taste just as good if you just slather the icing on with a spatula. Or just eat spoonfuls of the icing and forget about the cake all together.

This is an easy cake. Just a doctored cake mix. I love to do that. And the icing recipe is pretty basic.

As far as the decorating goes. . .it’s hard to explain without showing you but here goes.

Put the icing into a piping bag fitted with a Wilton #104 tip. With the skinny end of the tip facing up, you are going to use the bag and tip as if you are drawing an upside down tear drop. That little flick of the wrist will make each leaf. Overlap the leaves a little to make the 3D petal effect. Fill the center of the flower with a different color.

Ok.. it’s impossible to describe how to make an icing flower. I’m sure you can Google it. . or look on YouTube! Knowing how to make these flowers is one of my many useless skills!

The bees are easier to describe. I made them using lemon Tootsie Rolls. I can buy the flavored Tootsie Rolls in the bulk section of my grocery store so I just picked out the lemon ones! If you have to buy a mixed bag you can just pick out the yellow ones. . or make your bees all different colors! Who says they have to be yellow? Mother nature? Humph. . .I disagree!

All you do is unwrap the Tootsie Rolls and microwave for a few seconds at a time until the candy is pliable and can be shaped into a bee body. Beware that there is a fine line between handling warm pliable candy and handling molten lava! Don’t over heat the candy!

As you make the bee bodies you are going to press the ends of 2 almond slices into the sides to look like wings. Do it while the candy is still soft.

After you are done with the bodies and wings you’ll need to melt a small amount of chocolate. With a toothpick you can make the bee’s stripes and give him little eyes if you like. Set the completed bees aside to perch on the decorated cupcakes later.

These cupcakes are the giant size. And they are filled with strawberry jam. Do this after the cupcakes bake and cool.

Fill a piping bag fitted with a large round metal tip with strawberry jam. Use a skewer to pierce an inch or so into the cupcake and wiggle it around to loosen up a bit of space in there.

Stick the tip of the piping bag down into the cupcake and squeeze until you think the cavity has enough strawberry jam in it. It will take a Tbsp or so. Slowly remove piping bag.

Some jam may show. It’s ok, the icing will hide it. Once they are all filled, they are ready to decorate.

Who wouldn’t want to eat one of these?

The filling will be your little surprise for everyone! Enjoy!

Strawberry Buttercream Icing

2 cups butter, room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

2/3 cup strawberry jam

5-6 cups powdered sugar

1 tbsp vanilla

Beat the butter and shortening until fluffy. Add the jam and beat into the butter.

Beat in the butter a little at a time until it is the consistency you like. Add the vanilla and mix in well. You may need to add a few tablespoons of milk to thin the icing if it gets too stiff.

Tootsie Roll Bees

24 lemon Tootsie Rolls

2 Tbsp Chocolate chips, melted

sliced almonds

Unwrap all the Tootsie rolls. Place on a microwave safe plate. Microwave a few seconds at a time until the candy is soft enough to shape into the body of the bee. While still warm and pliable gently insert 2 slices of almond to look like bee wings.

Melt the chocolate. Using a toothpick with the chocolate, draw stripes and a face on each bee.

Once they cool completely you can place the bees on top of your decorated cupcakes.

Strawberry Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

1 box devils food cake mix

1 small box instant chocolate pudding

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1-2  cups strawberry jam

Mix everything except the jam together until well mixed.  Fill each paper cupcake liner 1/2 to 2/3  full. Makes 12 large or 24 regular sized cupcakes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, place the strawberry jam into a piping bag to fill the cupcakes. Stick the metal tip on the piping bag into the top of the cupcake and squeeze a little jam inside. Do this to each cupcake. Then frost the tops of the cupcakes.