Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes #FantasticalFoodFight

It’s time for this month’s Fantastical Food Fight!  Hosted by Sarah at a Fantastical Sharing of Recipes, participants in this group each cook up a recipe based on a certain theme, link up and fight to see who reign supreme!

Since yesterday was Valentine’s Day, this month’s theme is Chocolate Covered Treats!

With such a broad topic, I could have made almost anything – it was actually hard to decide!  But I ultimately decided on cupcakes!  Especially since I’ve refined my strawberry cupcake recipe, my chocolate frosting recipe, and mini cupcakes, since I last posted any of those recipes!

Making mini cupcakes can be a bit tedious (especially if you only have one mini cupcake tin) but they are so adorable, they’re worth it!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Mini Cupcakes

1 (15 oz) box white cake mix

1 (3.4 oz) Strawberry Jell-o

4 eggs

8 oz sour cream
3/4 cup canola oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line mini muffin tins with paper liners.

Mix all of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth.  Divide the batter evenly between the liners and bake for 18-20 minutes.  Cool completely before frosting.

Makes about 100 mini cupcakes

Chocolate Frosting

1 1/3 cups cocoa powder

6 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

2/3 cup half & half

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Place the cocoa powder and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Stir to blend.

While the mixer is on low, slowly add the melted butter and half & half (at the same time, if possible, alternating, if not).  Stir in the vanilla.  Add additional half & half or milk to thin the frosting, if desired.

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