Strawberry Cupcakes

The end of summer is drawing near and I find myself unwilling to let it go. These past few weeks the weather has already been rainy and to perk myself up I try to make the most of the summers produce. Knowing it is already a bit late for strawberries, I couldn't help myself and bought a bunch.

The next thing I did was look for a way to turn these strawberries into something yummy. And I found something alright. Strawberry Cupcakes! A lovely cake with the taste of strawberries topped with a strawberry swiss meringue buttercream. It is strawberry-bliss!

The cake is moist and fluffy and the buttercream tastes like strawberry ice cream. If I'm completely honest I think I'd ditch the cake altogether and just eat the frosting, it is so good!

Recipe

Strawberry Cupcakes

Yield: 1 dozen

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher or coarse salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
2/3 cup strawberries, rinsed, hulled and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:
3/4 cup strawberries, rinsed, hulled and coarsely chopped
2 large egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F). Fill a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a foodprocessor or blender and blend the strawberries to a puree until completely smooth.

In a small bowl mix together the vanilla, strawberry puree and milk and set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.

Slowly add egg and egg whites and mix on medium speed until well blended.

Put the mixer on a low speed and add half the flour mixture until just blended.

Add the milk mixture and mix until just blended.

Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until just blended. Scrape down the bowl to make sure the entire mixture is smooth.

Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake cups and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops are just dry to the touch.

Let the cupcakes cool completely before taking them out of the tin.

To make the frosting blend the strawberries in a food processor or blender until you have a completely smooth puree.

Put a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and combine the egg whites and suger. Whisking frequently, heat the mixture until it reaches 71°C (160°F) and the sugar has dissolved.

Transfer the egg white mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the mixture until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.

Put the speed on medium and start adding the butter, about 2 tablespoons at a time. After each addition has been completely incorporated, add more.

It might take a while before the frosting looks good. If it looks soupy or curdled just continue to beat for about 3-5 minutes (or longer). It can be that the butter was to soft, so it sometimes helps to put the mixture briefly in the refrigerator.

Add the strawberry puree and blend until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a tip of your choice with the frosting and frost away!

Source: cupcakes slightly adapted from Sprinkles on Martha Stewart, frosting from Annies Eats