Chocolate Garden Carrot Cupcake

These cute little carrot cupcakes start out with a moist tender cupcakes, the a delicious chocolate frosting, crushed oreos on top, then to top it off and make these over the top a orange chocolate coated strawberries. These are perfect for spring so easy to make, perfect for parties, you can make them in small mason jars or cupcake tins with liners, great for parties, favors for parties, showers, weddings.
I eat these at home because we love cupcakes in this house always have them here, I found this recipe and had to make them right away, all I needed to go buy was the strawberries and the strawberries, the rest of the ingredients are in your pantry. I always have oreos here. If you are going to make these as favors you can make them in the mason jar, that is a little gift as well as the yummy cupcake. Just wrap the cupcake in clear wrap, place an orange ribbon and there you go perfect and everyone will love it.

Ingredients For The Chocolate Cake:

1 box chocolate cake mix

3 eggs

1/2 C. oil 

1 C. sour cream

1/2 C. milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Frosting:

1 C. butter, softened

1/3 C. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. milk

2-3 C. powdered sugar

Crushed Oreos

1-2 containers strawberries

1 Bag Orange chocolate melts, from AC Moore, or craft store

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners or grease the small mason jars and place on a cookie sheet.

2. In a large mixing bowl sift cake mix to remove any lumps and add the eggs, oil, sour cream, milk, and the vanilla extract and whisk then stir until smooth. You do not have to over mix.

3. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full or jars 2/3 full and bake for 13-17 minutes for cupcakes or 16-22 minutes for jars. Check with a toothpick inserted into thhe center few little crumbs is okay

4. Remove from oven and if using liners take out after 2 minutes and let cool completely.

For The Frosting And The Strawberries:
5. Chocolate Frosting: In a large mixing bowl beat butter for about 2 minutes until smooth and a slight pale color. Then add cocoa powder, vanilla and milk and beat. Slowly add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.

6. Dip strawberries in melted orange chocolate melts and let let on wax or parchment paper. Drizzle extra chocolate over the strawberries to give a carrot look, tip: place the melted orange melted chocolate into a small ziploc bag, snip a tiny piece of the corner and drizzle, no fuss, no mess

7. Frost cupcakes and cover with crushed Oreos, then top with orange colored chocolate dipped strawberries

recipe and photo source:http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2015/03/cute-garden-carrot-cupcakes.html