Neapolitan Cupcakes With Bonbon Toppings

Courtesy of Kayla Kitts
Recipe by Heather Baird

Hi Friends,

Fancy chocolates make a festive topping for these Neapolitan cupcakes. For an extra-special gift, use your sweetheart's favorite variety to finish off these treats. The cupcakes are rich and decadent from their bonbon tops to their chocolate cake bottoms.

Here's the recipe...

Ingredients

For the chocolate cupcakes:

• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the vanilla and strawberry frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar, the finest you can find (usually 10 x)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• few drops of liquid red food coloring
• strawberry flavoring or strawberry extract, to taste
• milk or heavy cream, optional
• 9 or 10 assorted filled bonbon-type chocolates

Directions

For the chocolate cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line muffin tin with cupcake papers. Set aside.
3. Sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
4. Add eggs, water, heavy cream, oil and vanilla. Mix with a hand-held mixer until smooth.
5. Divide batter among cupcake papers, filling each 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

For the frostings:
1. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together the butter and confectioners' sugar.
2. Begin mixing on low speed until crumbly, then increase to high and beat for 3 minutes.
3. Add vanilla extract and beat again for another minute until light and fluffy. Note: If you find the buttercream is too stiff, you may add milk or heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture is spreading consistency.
4. Transfer 1/3 of the vanilla frosting to a piping bag fitted with flower decorating tip.
5. Beat the remaining frosting on medium speed, adding the red food coloring in a little at a time until the desired pink color intensity is achieved.
6. Add strawberry extract or strawberry flavoring oil.
7. Transfer pink icing to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip.
8. Pipe small stars of icing around the outside edge of the cupcakes with the white vanilla frosting.
9. Pipe a large swirl of pink frosting in the middle of the cupcake, making two passes with the piping bag.
10. Top each cupcake with a chocolate bonbon.

Happy Valentine's Day!

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Live well,
Yvonne