Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes

There is one thing that I always look forward to for Valentine's Day.........chocolate covered strawberries!!! So I decided to make a cupcake version of my favorite Valentine's Day treat. This is a chocolate cupcake with a strawberry cream cheese frosting and topped with a chocolate covered strawberry. 

Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups of flour
1/4 tsp of baking soda
2 tsp of baking powder
3/4 cup of cocoa powder
pinch of salt
3 tbs of softened butter
1 1/2 cups of sugar
2 eggs
3/4 tsp of vanilla extract
1 cup of milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin  pan with cupcake cups.
In a bowl sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa and salt. 
In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Stir in the vanilla and add the flour mixture and milk. Mix well and fill the  cups 3/4 full. 
Bake for 15-17 minutes. It is done when you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean. 
Let it cool before frosting. 


Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
1./2 cup of strawberries
1 stick of butter
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
4 cups of confectioners sugar
red food coloring

Directions:
Pureed the strawberries. 
In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the butter until fluffy. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined. Slowly stir in the sugar. Add the vanilla and just 3 tbs of strawberry puree. Once it is mixed well add a few drops of red food coloring to give it more of a pink color. 

Frost the cupcakes and top with a chocolate covered strawberry.