Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Butter Cream

I was asked to make some chocolate and strawberry cupcakes by a teacher I work with.  We came up with chocolate cupcakes with strawberry butter cream.  The recipe for the chocolate cupcakes is available here.  These cupcakes came out very moist!  It has sour cream in them and I think that is what did the trick!

I also added just a regular strawberry butter cream on top.  Recipe below.

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla {give or take}
2 T strawberry puree
Powdered sugar {Once you like how it looks}

Cream the butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl.  I made the strawberry puree in my Magic Bullet.   I just cut up 3 or 4 strawberries and pulsed them until they were liquified.  It came out to about 2 tablespoons.  Add the puree.  Make sure they are well combined because I have had it separate on me.  Lastly, add the powdered sugar until you like to consistency and taste.  I usually add about a cup at a time.

My mom always said to taste your food before you serve it to someone.  That may be the reason that I sometimes don't have exact measurements.  So Sorry :-P

Final product!

Belinda's Birthday

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Belinda is one of the sweetest ladies I know.  She teaches first grade with me.  Today is her birthday!  We try to celebrate every ones birthday with pizza and dessert.  It is a nice little treat to have something other than left-overs.  Belinda is also a lover of chocolate!  I don't know if I have ever met anyone who loves chocolate more.  Close to a year ago she tried some Jack Daniel's Cupcakes I made.  She absolutely loved them because, of course, they are chocolate (and full of booze)!  I made these cupcakes a while back with the chocolate butter cream.  After I made these, I realized there was a little too much chocolate (for some people).  I tweaked these a little bit by frosting them with a Jack Daniel's vanilla butter cream.  These give the cupcakes a more chocolate brownie and milk taste (which I love).  These are hands-down one of the best cupcakes out there!

Birthday and Big Red Cake

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My best friend of 26 years celebrated her birthday at the beginning of the month.  She absolutely loves Big Red.  I actually don't think I have met anyone else that loves it SO much!  A few years back she requested that I make her a Big Red cake.   I had never heard of this so I went in search of a recipe.  As it turns out, it is one of the easiest cakes you can make.  Ready for the secret??  It is made from a BOX cake!  This is one of the most delicious cakes I have ever made.  It is a hit every year and this year it did not disappoint!  I, unfortunately did no get a good picture of it this year but I have one from a previous year.

I could not get the it to turn but you get the picture!

Here is the recipe.

Big Red Cake

1 yellow or white cake mix

1 family size strawberry Jello

1 1/2 c. water

1 can Big Red soda

Bake the cake according to the package directions in a 13x9 baking dish. While the cake is baking add the remaining ingredients to a sauce pan.  Stir just until the Jello is dissolved.

 Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes and poke cake with the handle of a wooden spoon.  Pour the Big Red mixture over the cake. 

Icing

1 reg. size vanilla pudding

1 container of Cool Whip

1 1/2 c. milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl until stiff.   Pour and spread over cooled cake.  Store in the refrigerator.

My BFF and I!