With Earth Day coming up. . .
. . . it seemed like the perfect excuse to make something sweet. . .
. . . something full of love. . .
. . . and appreciation. . .
. . . for all the beautiful things. . . .
. . . on this beautiful planet.
Earth Day Strawberry Surprise Cupcakes
Ingredients/materials:
- This recipe for glorious chocolate cake from the lovely Ina Garten*
- 1 pint strawberries washed with the tops trimmed
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. milk
- 12 oz cream cheese at room temperature.
- 1 fresh beet (or red food coloring)
- card stock paper
- string
- 1 bamboo skewer
*When preparing your chocolate cake batter, if you don't often have buttermilk on hand (like me) you can add a tbsp. of lemon juice to your cup of milk and let it sit for 5 or 6 minutes to whip up a substitute.
Once you have your batter ready, pour it into parchment lined ramekins or cupcake tins so that it comes to about 1/2" below the rim. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick tester comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
While your cupcakes are cooling whip up a small batch of cheater fondant by mixing 1.5 cups of powdered sugar with 1 tbsp. milk and 1 tbsp. butter. You'll most likely have to kneed it a bit to get it to really come together. To turn it pink simply add a bit of beet juice or even just rub a freshly cut beet on the fondant dough and kneed in the color. Roll this out on a sheet of parchment covered in powdered sugar (put some on the roller too) and cut your hearts out with a knife or (if you have one) a tiny heart cookie cutter.
To make the frosting, whip the cream cheese and the remaining 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar together. Spoon the frosting into a large plastic food storage bag. Twist the excess bag and trim off the tip to prepare for piping your frosting (you can also simply spread it with a knife if you prefer).
When the cupcakes are cool, use a spoon to scoop out a hole in the center just large enough to fit a fresh strawberry (do this on the same day you plan to eat them). Pipe a bit of frosting in first and then drop the strawberry inside). Pipe a low swirl on top and add a fondant heart to top it off. Set these aside in the refrigerator.
Using a pen, pencil, or typewriter, write down all of your favorite things in nature and cut them into small tags. If you'd like to add a "Happy Earth Day" banner to one, poke a hole in each side of the tag and use a bit of thread to tie it to 2 pieces of bamboo skewer cut to the appropriate height.
Add your tags and banners to the cupcakes and enjoy!
~ Sarah
P.s. Stay tuned for more Earth Day fun later in the week :)
*Last time in Recipes: Savory Turnovers
