Neapolitan Cupcakes

These delightful Neapolitan Cupcakes are absolutely delicious! They consist of a soft vanilla cake, a creamy strawberry filling, and a delightful chocolate ganache frosting. As you were growing up, did your Mom ever buy Neapolitan ice cream? My Mom did and I was always a bit disappointed to see it in our freezer. For me, having three different flavors of ice cream in the same carton does not really qualify as a unique flavor. Typically, the chocolate would be gone first, followed by the vanilla, and finally the strawberry.

So how did neapolitan cupcakes end up being the recipe winner here?

Clearly I never really understood the whole chocolate, vanilla, strawberry thing until now. It turns out it’s a lovely combination! I had an idea for a strawberry cream recipe which made me really wanted to cram that cream into a cupcake. However I could not decide between topping them with a chocolate or a vanilla icing so I made both. You guys, they are both so good I have to post them both. Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes will be coming out next so keep an eye out for that.

Cupcake baking hack you have to try!

There are some very clever people out there and I am grateful for all of them. I really wish I had thought of this myself or at least stumbled on it sooner but we are going to go forward with a better late than never attitude here. The next time you bake cupcakes try this…

cupcake rice hack — Put a little rice in the wells underneath your cupcake liners.

dry cupcake bottom — The rice will soak up any grease leaving you will a dry liner…

easy clean up — …and it also makes your cleanup easier!

Try this too!!

When researching recipes this time, I found a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen where we do NOT focus on creaming the butter and sugar like we do in almost every other cake recipe I have ever baked. I thought to myslf NO WAY but it’s “America’s Test Kitchen” so it must work? It totally does. I am not saying that we never need to cream our butter and sugar again but this time around we are going to enjoy just how easy this cake batter comes together!

Ok, let’s do this thing….

Step by step directions for Neapolitan Cupcakes.

neapolitan cupcake ingredients — Simple vanilla cake ingredients.

neapolitan cupcake dry ingredients — Mix together all dry ingredients including sugar.

neapolitan cupcake wet ingredients — Add all of the wet ingredients at once.

neapolitan cupcake liners — Combine and fill liners evenly.

bake neapolitan cupcakes until golden brown — Bake at 350° for 22-24 min.

core neapolitan cupcakes — Cool and core (using an apple corer).

Strawberry Cream Filling

strawberry cream base — White chocolate base ingredients.

white chocolate ganache — Pour boiling cream over white chocolate.

melting neapolitan ganache — Cover with foil and let sit for 5 minutes to melt chocolate.

strawberry and powder sugar — Process together dries strawberries with powdered sugar.

combine with strawberry base for neapolitan cupcakes — Combine with melted white chocolate and strawberry extract.

chill neapolitan strawberry cream — Pop in the refrigerator to chill.

beat strawberry cream — Whip the strawberry cream until it is light and fluffy.

fill cupcake with cream — …fill cupcakes.

neapolitan cupcake frosting ingredients — Frosting ingredients.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

chocolate base ingredients — Chocolate base ingredients.

chocolate base like coffee grounds — It will look like coffee grounds.

whip chocolate ganache frosting — Beat the chocolate ganache until it is smooth and creamy. You may add additional powdered sugar if needed to create your desired frosting consistency.

Neapolitan cake recipes — Enjoy another!

Cupcake Ingredients and Directions

1 1/2 cups (180g) cake flour
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or extract)

Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare your cupcake pan by filling each well with uncooked rice and then a paper liner. Combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Next, add butter, sour cream, egg, egg yolks, vanilla and mix until well combined. Using a large ice cream scoop fill your cupcake liners and bake 22-24 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Cool cupcakes on a rack, remove the “core” with an apple corer.

Strawberry Cream Ingredients and Directions

4oz white chocolate wafers
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup dried strawberries
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 teaspoon strawberry extract

Bring cream to a boil in a saucepan on the stove. Pour over the white chocolate and cover with foil for 5 minutes (chocolate will melt). Stir white chocolate until it is smooth. Using a small food processor or a rolling pin, pulverize the dried strawberries and powdered sugar together. Add strawberry and sugar and strawberry extract to melted chocolate. Combine well and chill for an hour. Then using a hand mixer beat strawberry cream until light and fluffy. Fill a sandwich baggie with the cream, cut off a corner and fill the cored cupcakes.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting Ingredients and Directions

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
4 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 oz boiling water

Combine cocoa, butter, corn syrup, salt and vanilla in a glass bowl with a fork until it resembles coffee grounds. Brin 3 oz of water to boiling in a microwave or on the stove. Add powdered sugar to chocolate and pour boiling water over the top. Beat with a hand mixer until well combined. Add additional powdered sugar if needed.

Frost your cupcakes and enjoy!!