Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

My mother-in-law and niece were in town for a visit.  And they like to bake too! It was a super fun week filled with lots of baking.  Then, they were kind enough to watch my kiddos while my husband and I got to go to Cancun. So, that’s where I’ve been the past couple of weeks.

but now back to baking!

I love strawberries (especially when they’re always on sale).  I like them by themselves, with yogurt and granola, dipped in chocolate, on pancakes, with ice cream, etc. And these cupcakes were no exception. I very much enjoyed them. They have a great fresh strawberry taste.

Strawberry Cupcakes adapted from Martha Stewart makes about 18

1 3/8 C all-purpose flour

1/4 C cake flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 C (1 stick) butter room temp

1 1/8 C sugar

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 C milk

1 C finely chopped fresh strawberries

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with liners
• Sift together both flours and baking powder
• Cream butter, sugar and vanilla on med-hi until pale and fluffy
• Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated, scraping down sides as needed
• With speed on low, add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with milk, beating well until combined
• Fold in chopped strawberries by hand
• Fill the lined cups 3/4 full, and bake 20-25 minutes
• Let cool for 15 minutes in tins before tipping out onto racks, then let cool completely

Strawberry Buttercream from Martha makes about 2 1/2 C

3/4 C fresh strawberries rinsed, hulled and coarsely chopped

2 large egg whites

1/2 + 1/8 C sugar

3/4 C (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temp (I only had salted butter, and the frosting was good on the cupcakes, but I think it would have been better to use unsalted)

• puree strawberries in a food processor
• combine egg whites and sugar in heatproof bowl, set over simmering water
• whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm and sugar has dissolved – should feel smooth
• place egg/sugar mixture in a standing mixer with whisk attachment- start low and increase to med-hi
• mix until stiff but not dry peaks form, and the the bottom of the bowl no longer feels warm, around 10 minutes
• turn speed to med-low, add butter 1 Tlbsp at a time, mixing well after each addition
• after the butter has been added, scrape down sides of bowl and switch to the paddle attachment, beat on low for about 2 minutes
• add strawberries and beat until combined (this step took a lot longer then I thought it would, at first it looks like the strawberries will never mix in.  But they do!)
• stir with a flexible spatula until the frosting is smooth

I used Wilton tip #4B to frost these