Strawberry Cupcakes {Foodie Friday}

I love summer. I love strawberries. I love icing. I am an icing person. I think it’s the best part of any cupcake and it certainly is not an exception with these. The strawberry puree really just takes these off the charts. The original recipe made 34 cupcakes, so I have halved it below. If you needed a reason to visit your local Costco to buy berries en masse, now you have one ;)

Looking for other strawberry goodies? Check out my Strawberry Scones, Strawberry Cream Cheese Tart, Strawberry Pecan Shortcakes and Strawberry Banana Muffins.

One Year Ago: Perfect Pizza Crust

Strawberry Cupcakes

Yield: 15-18 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
½ tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 TB sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
½ cup milk
1 ¼ cups finely chopped fresh strawberries

For the frosting:
¾ cups fresh strawberries (6 oz.), rinsed, hulled and coarsely chopped
2 large egg whites (or meringue powder mixed according to package instructions.)
½ cup plus 2 TB sugar
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

For garnish:
Additional fresh strawberries

Directions

· To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and egg white one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions alternating with the milk, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Gently fold in the chopped strawberries with a spatula.

· Divide the batter between the paper liners, filling each about ¾-full. Bake until light golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-28 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Allow to cool in the pans a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

· To make the frosting, place the strawberries in a food processor or blender. Puree until completely smooth. Combine the egg whites (or prepared meringue powder and water) and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes. (The bowl should be cool to the touch.) Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer - don’t worry, it will come together!) Blend in the strawberry puree until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

· Fill a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip with the frosting. (I used a large, unlabeled star tip to frost these cupcakes.) Frost cooled cupcakes as desired, and garnish with fresh berries or berry slices.

Source: Annie's Eats