Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes Rich And Silky Wellplated Com

Actually, in the spirit of total honesty, I’m first celebrating with a nap. I arrived home from Europe late last night so that Ben and I could be together on our anniversary. If you are wondering if the irony of my leaving Paris to be in Wisconsin for the sake of romance has escaped me, it has not. Although the Paris-to-Wisconsin scenario merits some situational humor, I wouldn’t trade a last night in front of the Eiffel Tower or plate of croissants for a chance to spend a milestone evening celebrating with the person I love so dearly, both for who he is and for who we are together. Of course Ben and I both would have loved for him to join me in Paris instead, but since that wasn’t an option, we are going to have a magnifique evening in Milwaukee instead. Could Milwaukee be the under-appreciated Paris of the Midwest? We are about to find out.

Although five years of marriage might seem insignificant when compared to a couple who has been married for 50+ , to me it is still meaningful. I am looking forward to celebrating tonight with dinner out, then enjoying a special dessert I stowed away in our freezer: Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes with Whipped Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting.

About These Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes

Our wedding cake was strawberry flavored, so every year for our anniversary, I make some kind of strawberry dessert to commemorate it. I actually started my blog the same year we were married, so if you have a lot of extra time on your hands (or you really love strawberries), you can poke back through the archives to see what I’ve shared. This year’s dessert is a bit of a cheat, because it’s more chocolate than strawberry, but these Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes are far too fabulous to waste time debating semantics. More like mini chocolate soufflés than traditional cupcakes, these mousse-inspired treats are light and airy on the inside, smooth and silky on the outside, and truffle-like throughout. The chocolate flavor is pure without being overpowering, and they are sweet-tooth satisfying without being sugary. They remind me of the chocolate mousse I had in Paris, but as someone who once (and only once) tried to make traditional chocolate mousse from scratch, I can tell you that these Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes are far, far easier to prepare.

This recipe came to me via my stellar communications manager, Caitlin, who, in addition to keeping me sane on a daily basis, has a keen understanding of the sorts of desserts that speak directly to my heart. She sent me Deb’s recipe for Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes with Mint Cream, and I knew immediately that some version of it needed to be in my life, STAT. I kept the base recipe for the chocolate cupcakes the same because, quite frankly, it is too perfect to change, but I swapped the mint cream with an ethereal whipped strawberry cream cheese frosting. I’m sure the mint version is lovely, but honestly, I am so besotted with this cloud-like strawberry cream creation, I’m not sure that I’ll ever eat these Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes any other way. A better name for Whipped Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting would be “Whipped Strawberry Cloud.” It’s lightly sweetened homemade whipped cream, folded together with cream cheese and fresh strawberries. It’s light, creamy, fruity, and categorically impossible not to eat directly from the bowl, so don’t even try. Pile as much onto the mousse cupcakes as you think they can hold, then polish off the rest with a spoon and a smile.

In addition to sharing a strawberry dessert, I do have one other wedding anniversary tradition. Each year, I’ve posted something that I learned about marriage since saying “I do” five years ago. I don’t think I’d call this year’s blurb a lesson, so much as I would a moment of appreciation. I couldn’t be myself, either as I am today or who I would want to be, without Ben. Whether he’s stepping between me and my computer to give me a hug, lying on my side of the bed to warm it up before I climb in, or shoveling the driveway so that I can make it out for an early-morning grocery run, the quiet selflessness he displays inspires me to be the best-ever version of myself. His opinion is the one I seek first and respect most. We’ve been married five years, friends for twelve, and when I think of the decades ahead, I can’t picture my life any other way than without him in it. Yes, we have our disagreements. Yes, we are uniquely talented at driving each other crazy. And yes, I really do think my way of loading the dishwasher is superior to his. But, could there be anyone else I’d rather have make me nuts than this person for whom I already am? Never. Love you, Ben. Happy anniversary.