Chocolate truffle cupcakes with cream and strawberries

These little chocolate truffle cakes are topped with fluffy whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate sauce and fresh strawberries. They have a wonderfully rich, fudgy centre, almost like a chocolate truffle, and are baked straight in sturdy paper muffin cases – no baking tin needed. Small but seriously chocolatey, they’re a lovely way to make the most of strawberry season. Perfect for Mother’s Day or any special occasion! 🙂

Makes 8 – 10.

Ingredients for the chocolate truffle cupcakes:

• 140 g butter
• 50 ml milk
• 140 g dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp sour cream
• 200 g light brown sugar
• 100 g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder

All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the butter and milk in a small saucepan. Heat until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and leave for 2 minutes. Stir until you have a smooth chocolate sauce. Leave to cool slightly.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and add the vanilla extract, sour cream and sugar. Whisk until smooth. Add the cooled chocolate sauce, followed by the flour sifted with the baking powder. Whisk until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Pour the batter into sturdy paper muffin cases, filling each one about three-quarters full.

Bake at 170°C for about 25 – 30 minutes. When you insert a skewer into the cake, it should come out without any traces of raw batter, although it may be coated in melted chocolate. Don’t overbake, as you want to keep the truffle-like centre lovely and moist. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Ingredients for the cream:

• 250 ml double cream, chilled
• 50 g mascarpone, chilled
• 1 tbsp icing sugar

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and whip until thick.

Ingredients for the chocolate sauce:

• 70 g dark chocolate, chopped (or half milk chocolate and half dark chocolate)
• 70 ml double cream

Heat the double cream in a small saucepan until almost boiling, then remove from the heat. Add the chopped chocolate and leave for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth and glossy. Leave to cool.

Additionally:

• 8-10 strawberries, one for each cupcake

Assembly:

Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag and pipe decoratively onto the cooled chocolate truffle cakes. Drizzle with the chocolate sauce and top each one with a strawberry.

Enjoy!