Strawberries and Chocolate

I had some chocolate cupcakes left over from yesterday and no more frosting so I decided to make use of the fresh strawberries I had before they went bad. I am way partial towards the European buttercreams, which contain some form of egg or other. American buttercreams, on the other hand, are just a mix of butter and powder sugar or some variation of that. I've had it before, but I don't remember ever making the American version until today. European buttercreams, whether French, Swiss, or Italian are so luxurious and smooth, and they're the ones reserved for wedding cakes or more European style bakeries. I guess for me, it definitely is about the texture, but the taste is different too. The powder sugar adds that sugary grittiness to the frosting while making it super sweet, which I prefer neither of. I feel like such a frosting snob, and I am sorry if I offend anyone :)

So back to the cupcakes. I only paired the strawberry frosting with the chocolate cupcakes just because I had to get rid of them, but it made more sense as I was putting it together. It reminded me of chocolate dipped strawberries, like the ones Godiva make... yum. I had preferred to use the strawberry buttercream with a light vanilla cupcake, but after trying this particular version of the frosting, the pairing would have been too sweet. The chocolate cake worked well with it. For the cupcakes, use the double chocolate recipe from my previous post, but leave the spices out (peppers and cinnamon). I found a basic vanilla buttercream and just added the strawberries to it last. Actually, I was too lazy to puree the berries and just cut them into little pieces. That's why the frosting looks a little chunky. Oops! Oh, and I still prefer Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

2 sticks of Butter at room temperature

3 c Powder Sugar

2 Tbs Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 c Pureed Strawberries

1. Beat the butter until light and fluffy
2. Slowly add powder sugar until well incorporated
3. Add cream until fully mixed
4. Add vanilla and strawberries and turn mixer on high to mix well

On a somewhat related note, I have some unexpected but exciting news- well, at least it is for me. A few months ago I sent out many job applications to many random places. Many of them were retail stores since they were hiring seasonal employees for the holidays. Just as my hours are getting cut at my current job, I was thinking about finding a second job. In the middle of posting my blog yesterday, Sur La Table calls me about the Kitchen Assistant position I totally forgot I applied for. I went in today to meet them and it was the easiest interview I ever had. The chef/program coordinator asked me to choose three items from the store and tell her why I liked them. The hardest part was picking out just three! It sounded like I already had it in the bag before they even called me. So what will I be doing? I'll be doing prep work for the cooking classes, grocery shopping, washing dishes, and assisting the chef and the students. Some of you might think I went to design school to be a kitchen assistant? I'm super excited because this job couldn't have come at a better time. Right when I was looking for a second job. Right when I became seriously obsessed with baking. I'll get all the top of the line gourmet baking supplies and ingredients I need for a bargain AND since I'm helping out in the classes, I'm pretty much getting paid to be at these cooking classes that cost $60-$100 to attend. Seriously, God has the greatest timing- ever! Oh, I chose a culinary torch, a silicone spatula, and a bottle of balsamic vinegar for my three items. Not that you were wondering or anything.