Chocolate Strawberry Nutella Cupcakes

True story: the best motivation for getting through a gym session is to watch the Food Network while you’re on the treadmill. It works, I promise.
This weekend, the lovely Pioneer Woman helped me get through my workout by showing me how to make this amazing chocolate strawberry Nutella cake. It was ginormous…4 layers tall. My mouth watered the whole time, and I thought, Man I wish I could make a cake like that. How cool would I be? Maybe I should try it sometime.And then I thought, who am I kidding? I can’t make a cake like that. But I CAN make cupcakes.My friend at school had a dinner party at his apartment earlier this week, and everyone who came brought a dish or food item to contribute. I volunteered to bring dessert. I took the Pioneer Woman’s amazing cake recipe and turned it into delicious cupcakes. They were a hit and everyone loved them. They weren’t super difficult, either!

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY NUTELLA CUPCAKES

INGREDIENTS:1 box chocolate cake mix + ingredients1 quart strawberries1 jar Nutella (store-brand chocolate-hazelnut spread is fine, too)1 pint whipping cream1 Tbsp sugar, Splenda or sweetener of choice for strawberries1 tsp sweetener for creamVanilla extract to taste1. Bake the chocolate cupcakes according to the directions on the box. Let them cool completely before decorating.

2. Pour whipping cream in a large, deep bowl. Add vanilla extract and sweetener to the cream, and mix with an electric mixer until light, fluffy and whipped. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

3. Wash, dry and slice the strawberries. Put them in a medium bowl, sprinkle them with sugar, Splenda or sweetener of choice. Coat the strawberries and set them aside to macerate.4. Spread a thin layer of Nutella on top of each cupcake.

5. Place a strawberry slice on top of the Nutella layer.

6. Spoon the whipped cream on top of the cupcakes. Be careful, it will slide off! Place one more strawberry slice on top of the cream.7. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.