Chocolate Cupcakes with Flaming Strawberries

Yield:  About 20 cupcakes Cupcakes: 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 3/4 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp salt 2 eggs 3/4 cup hot water 3/4 cup heavy cream 3 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil 2 tsp vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with cupcake papers and set aside. Sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.  Add eggs, water, heavy cream, oil and vanilla.  Mix with a hand held mixer until smooth.  Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each half full.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Let cool before frosting. Frosting: 2 sticks softened butter 4 cups confectioners' sugar 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, cream together sugar, cocoa and butter; beginning on low speed then increase to high.  Beat until fluffy and lightened in color.  Transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip.  Frost cupcakes. Strawberries: 18-24 Strawberries - you'll need as many as you have cupcakes Vodka, rum, or your choice of liquor 80 proof or higher (use Bacardi 151 for fail-proof results) Hollow the strawberries carefully.  If you pierce the side of the strawberry accidentally, start with a new one.  Since you'll be setting the liquor aflame, it is important that your strawberry is leak-proof. Set one strawberry atop each frosted cupcake.  Fill strawberries with liquor just before lighting (see tips).  If you need to light them all at once, (say, for a party) use a turkey baster to quickly fill all the strawberries and a grill lighter in lieu of matches. Notes for flaming strawberries: Any alcohol below 80 proof will not light well.  I used 80 proof and got a nice blue flambe'. Note: some have had trouble getting 80 proof to ignite - lots of people are recommending Bacardi 151 as a fail-safe.   You can add a little sugar to the inside of the strawberry to sweeten things up. However, the flame seems to last longer without the addition of sugar. Make sure to use a liquor that you like.  Vodka is a good choice if you want very little flavor. Alcohol evaporates, so light the strawberry soon after you spoon the liquor in.  Do I have to say it?  Probably not, but my conscience will not let me go without.  Do not attempt to eat a flaming strawberry.  It's a relatively short burn time, lasting about 30 seconds to 1 minute. So, enjoy but be careful.  Use your noodle. www.sprinklebakes.com/2011/01/chocolate-cupcakes-with-flaming.html