14 Feb Stracciatella Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream
Since it’s Valentine’s Day, I’m going to take it upon myself to give you some relationship advice. It has to do with men and cars. Better yet, it has to do with men and driving.
Did I mention I can’t promise that it’s good advice?
Here goes: Ladies, let your man drive. Even if he says that he would LOVE for you to, hand over the keys with a sweet little smile. Oh but you like to drive?
I like to drive too. I have a lot of friends who like to drive. And we all seem to make it from point A to point B just fine. So why then, should we let our honeys take the wheel?
Is it because they should be chivalrous? Nope.
Is it because men are better drivers than women? Of course not.
Is it a control thing? Well, maybe a little.
The real reason that we put the men in our life behind the wheel is for our own sanity.
We all know the cliche about men never asking for directions. I have learned this to be 100% true, even if they only need to “ask” the GPS function on their iPhone. But of course GPSing the nearest mexican restaurant can be done in seconds.
Not to mention telling you WHEN to turn, WHICH WAY to go and HOW to get there. Sheeesh! Can you tell I’m a little bitter?
Just ride shotgun and DJ girly songs that you can sing along to. You will be MUCH happier.
And even though my sweetie drives me a little crazy (no pun intended) he is totally worth it. Love you babe :*
Speaking of happy couples – Happy Valentine’s Day! Even if you don’t have somebody to drive you crazy on the road, we’ve all got special people in our lives. Spend today letting your special people know they’re loved. š
I love pretty much everybody who takes the time to read my blog- so I made you cupcakes! Stracciatella cupcakes to be precise.
Stracciatella is basically a fancy way of saying vanilla chocolate chip. One of my FAVORITE gelato flavors is Stracciatella. If you haven’t had real Italian Gelato, put it on your bucket list. It’s heavenly. Stracciatella gelato is very similar to American chocolate chip ice cream, only better. Instead of having chunks, the chocolate is shaved or chopped into fine bits so that the texture is smoother and you get light crunchy flakes mixed throughout. Divine.
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Stracciatella Cupcakes
1 box yellow or white cake mix
4 eggs (box instructions + 1)
1 cup of milk (substituted for water on box instructions)
1/2 cup oil
1 package instant vanilla pudding
1 bar dark chocolate (set aside 1 small piece for garnish)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Using a sharp knife, chop up your chocolate bar into very small pieces, until it’s almost at a “shaved” consistency.
2. Combine cake mix, eggs, milk, oil & pudding mix in a large bowl and mix on medium-high for 2 minutes.
3. Add chocolate pieces and stir until combined.
4. Pour batter into lined muffin tins. Should make 18-24 cupcakes.
5. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely.
Raspberry Buttercream
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4-6 cups powdered sugar
Raspberry Sauce (recipe below)
1. Beat the softened butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add cooled raspberry mixture to butter and blend until well incorporated.
3. Add powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments until buttercream reaches desired consistency and sweetness.
Raspberry Sauce
1 pint fresh or frozen raspberries
3 tbsp water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1. Heat raspberries & water in a medium saucepan for 10 minutes. Use a spoon to much raspberries so there are no large chunks.
2. Remove mixture from heat and strain out seeds with a mesh strainer. Use a spatula to push through as much of the raspberry liquid as possible. 3. Pour raspberry liquid back into the sauce pan and place over medium heat.
4. Whisk the cornstarch into a few tablespoons of cold water and add to raspberry liquid.
5. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly until sauce thickens (about 2-3 minutes). Remove sauce from heat and cool completely.
To assemble the cupcakes pipe on buttercream and use a potato peeler to flake chocolate over the top! Viola! Let’s eat!
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