Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries with Chocolate Drizzle

First some business...

I decided to take part in "Adopt-a-Blogger" this time around. I feel as though I have so much to learn when it comes to blogging. I knew it would be a great way to put myself out there and see what happened. I am so happy to say that I have officially been adopted! My adoptee is Jessica from The Novice Chef! I am super excited about us being paired up and can't wait to get to know more about Jessica! Just by reading her blog it looks like we have a lot in common and could become great friends! She has an amazing blog filled with lots of GREAT recipes, so you should definitely check it out!

In honor of my "adoption", I decided to poke around her blog and see if there was a recipe that I could make. I marked so many of her recipes and didn't know what to pick, finally came to THIS! Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I actually had a baby shower to go to over the weekend for a good friend of mine and when I saw these I KNEW I HAD TO MAKE THEM! My friend is well, not only pregnant, but a huge fan of chocolate covered strawberries, so I knew they would be a hit! And boy were they!! The idea of this Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberry is just insane...and WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF IT!!! It is so easy to do and so delicious! With Valentine's Day right around the corner, wouldn't these be perfect for your sweetie!!!!???

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries with Chocolate Drizzle

(as seen on The Novice Chef)

2 crates of fresh Strawberries

1 box Jello No Bake Cheesecake (I actually used the sugar-free kind!)

Crushed Graham Crackers

Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate for drizzling (I used white and milk, but you can do whatever you prefer.)

Mix the cheesecake filling according to the box, let set in the refrigerator until set. Crush graham crackers by hand or use a food processor, set aside.

Wash your strawberries and cutoff the tops. Next, hollow out the strawberries, I followed Jessica's suggestion and used the end of a potato peeler to do this.

Once you have hollowed out all your strawberries, fill a pastry bag (or use a zip-lock bag) with your cheesecake filling. Gently fill each strawberry until the filling is slightly overstuffed. Dip each end into the graham cracker crumbs and set aside.

Heat up your chocolate carefully until the chocolate is melted thoroughly. Spoon the melted chocolate into zip-lock sandwich bags. Cut off a very small tip and squeeze the chocolate over the strawberries.

These strawberries are so delicious, I rate them a 10 for sure! So go make them, what are you waiting for! ;o) Oh and don't forget to check out Jessica's blog, The Novice Chef!

Strawberry Stuffed Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting!

So I cheated a little bit with these cupcakes by using a box mix. But my reason for that was mainly because I had this new idea for a cupcake, and I wanted to try to master making a Buttercream Frosting! I actually went to a party last night where someone made a chocolate cake covered with Strawberry Buttercream...the frosting was so yummy! So being a freak about baking, I came home last night thinking about how good that frosting was! I started trying to think of a way I could use that frosting, and that is when I decided to try a Strawberry Stuffed Cupcake with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting! THEY TURNED OUT AMAZING!!!! I will definitely be making these again, but maybe next time I will actually make the cake myself!!

Strawberry Stuffed Cupcake

(recipe from Liesl)

1 Box White Cake Mix

1 Cup Strawberry Jam

Prepare Cake mix according to back of the box. Bake Cupcakes, again according to the back of the box. I made 24 Cupcakes total. Once cupcakes have finished baking, cool completely on a wire rack. While Cupcakes are cooling, fill a resealable zip lock bag with the 1 cup Strawberry Jam. Once Cupcakes are completely cooled, poke a hole in the center of each cupcake. I used the end of a wooden spoon to do this. Take the zip lock bag filled with Strawberry Jam, cut a small hole in the corner of the bag, and pipe the Jam carefully into each Cupcake.


(These are my cupcakes filled with jam, just waiting for that yummy Strawberry Buttercream Frosting!) I filled my Cupcakes and then prepared the Frosting, but you could always make the Frosting first so it would be ready to spread once the Cupcakes cooled.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

(from Joy of Cooking, with a few additions of my own)

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup water

1/4 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

5 Large Egg Yolks

3 Sticks Unsalted Butter Softened

2 Tablespoons Strawberry Extract

2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar (used this just to thicken it a little more)

Combine Sugar, Water and Cream of Tartar in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the mixture begins to simmer. Stop stirring and cover for 2 minutes. (this allows the sugar to dissolve) Uncover and cook until the syrup registers 238 degrees (soft-ball stage) on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, fill a wide, deep skillet with 1 inch of water and bring it to a simmer. In a medium heat proof bowl, be 5 Large Egg Yolks on high speed until thick and pale yellow in color.

Just before Syrup is ready, begin beating the eggs again on medium speed. While beating the eggs, pour the hots syrup in a thin steady stream into the eggs. Set the heatproof bowl in the skillet of simmer hot water and stir egg mixture constantly with a whisk until the mixture registers 160 degrees. Remove from heat. Wash beaters and beat the hot mixture until it cools to room temperature.

Once cool, beat in 1 Tablespoon at a time of the Unsalted Butter. Beat each Tablespoon of butter into the buttercream until it is smooth and spreadable. Continue process until you have incorporated all your butter. Once all your butter is incorporated, mix in the 2 Tablespoons of Strawberry Extract (or any other flavor you like). If it gets too soupy when you are adding the butter just stop and refrigerate it for a little bit. I also went ahead and put my frosting in the refrigerator for about 2 hours after making it, to let it set better. When I pulled it out it was still just a little to thin for my liking so that is when I added the 2 Tablespoons of Powdered Sugar...just to thicken it up. It didn't really effect the flavor at all.

Fill a resealable zip lock bag with Frosting. Cut a small hole in one corner. Pipe Frosting on top of each cupcake. I placed mine in the refrigerator after frosting to keep the Frosting set.