Chocolate Cupcakes with French Buttercream and Strawberry Mousse Filling

This recipe makes 4 dozen cupcakes, but it can easily be halved.

2 1/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

6 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup dark cocoa powder (I use Hershey's Special Dark)

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup milk

5 teaspoons vanilla

1.  1.  Preheat oven to 350*F.

2.  2.Cream butter on medium high speed for about 5 minutes

3.  3. Add eggs  one at a time until fully incorporated.

4.  4. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda.

5.  5. Combine milk, vanilla and salt.

6.  6. Add the flour mixture alternating with the milk mixture starting and ending with flour. (This should be done in 3 additions)

7.Scoop into cupcake papers and bake for 16 minutes. 

      Strawberry Mousse

8 oz. Mascarpone Cheese

6 oz. Heavy Whipping Cream

2 oz. smashed strawberries

2 oz. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1.    Mix the mascarpone and the whipping cream together until there are no lumps.

2.    Add the sugar, whip on high until it is thick and stiff

3.    Fold in strawberries

To assemble cupcake cut a 1 inch hole in the top of each cake (save and freeze scaps for other uses). Fill each hole with about 1 to 1 ½ tsps. Mousse.  Pipe buttercream to cover the hole.  Garnish with fresh strawberries.  or Cherry Heads candy

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