A dark, rich, moist chocolate cupcake filled with luscious pastry cream and topped with whipped chocolate ganache. I dressed them up for St. Patrick's Day, but these decadent cupcakes would be perfect any time of year.
I recently needed a couple of desserts to send to work with my husband. I wanted something that was not chocolate, because I was already sending a chocolate cake for one of the desserts.
The classic combination of meringue and strawberries gets a new twist in this recipe. Pistachios and brown sugar add a depth of flavor to the meringue, rose water perfumes the whipped cream and mascarpone filling, and everything comes together to highlight the luscious taste of ripe strawberries. This recipe was originally inspired by Nigella Lawson's Gooey Chocolate Stack. Summer, and leftover ingredients from a recent tryst with kheer (Indian rice pudding) inspired this version. You can locate pistachios and rose water at any Indian or Middle-Eastern store; if not, I'm sure the combination of almonds and pure vanilla would be equally delightful. This delicious dessert also happens to be gluten-free. - Heena
