Chocolate Cupcakes with Flaming Strawberries

By llunny

Ingredients

• Cupcakes:
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Frosting:
• 2 sticks softened butter
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Details

Adapted from sprinklebakes.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line muffin tin with cupcake papers and set aside.

Sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, water, heavy cream, oil and vanilla. Mix with a hand held mixer until smooth.
Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each half full. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

Frosting:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, cream together sugar, cocoa and butter; beginning on low speed then increase to high. Beat until fluffy and lightened in color. Transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip. Frost cupcakes.

Strawberries:
18-24 Strawberries - you'll need as many as you have cupcakes
Vodka, rum, or your choice of liquor 80 proof or higher (over-proof such as 110 will give you a yellow flame)

Hollow the strawberries carefully. If you pierce the side of the strawberry accidentally, start with a new one. Since you'll be setting the liquor aflame, it is important that the strawberry is leak-proof.

Set one strawberry atop each frosted cupcake. Fill strawberries with liquor just before lighting (see tips). If you need to light them all at once, (say, for a party) use a turkey baster to quickly fill all the strawberries and a grill lighter in lieu of matches.