Strawberry Cupcakes

This weekend a friend was hosting a tea party with some international students here in Denton… and for this she needed cupcakes! Cupcakes… love cupcakes. Even better than that she needed some very spring-y tea party appropriate cupcakes. Love it. So we settled on strawberry cupcakes and lemon cupcakes. Because, lets face it, the pink and yellow would be too perfect to ignore.

So off I went yesterday baking away, carefully measuring and heating and whipping and icing. It was a great spring day. The sun was out, the windows were open, and a playlist was playing perfect spring tunes to channel into the cupcakes. And they were pretty darn cute. Not gonna lie.

I even saved one for myself so I could “test” it out today… man, perfect spring cupcakes to kick off the season.

These are perfect for an Easter party, brunch, or just to brighten up your day. Enjoy!

(P.S. Please don’t be fearful of the butter cream just because it involves a candy thermometer. Its really not hard, and the light, fluffiness of the butter cream is darn near perfect.)

adapted from Martha Stuart

Cupcakes

2 1/4 c all purpose flour

1/2 c cake flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

8 oz unsalted butter, softened

2 1/4 c sugar

3 large eggs plus 1 egg white

1 c whole milk

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 c finely chopped strawberries

Recipe for Strawberry Buttercream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line standard baking pans with cupcake/muffin liners. In a large mixing bowl cream the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy (about 5min). In a small bowl combine your milk and vanilla. In a medium bowl combine the rest of your dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, salt). After you have creamed the butter and sugar, add one egg/white at a time on medium speed, mixing well after each addition. Lower the speed of your mixer and slowly add your wet and dry ingredients alternately starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Turn off the mixer and fold in the strawberries. Drop into the cupcake liners  - about 3/4 full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool on wire racks for at least 15 minutes, and make sure they are fully cooled before icing.

Strawberry Buttercream

4 lg egg whites, room temperature

1 1/4 c sugar

3/4 pound unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 c fresh strawberries, pureed

Place whites and sugar in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Remove from heat, and attach bowl to mixer. Whisk on medium speed for 5 min. Increase the speed to high and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 6 min. Reduce speed to medium and add butter, 1 piece at a time, whisking well after each addition. With the mixer on low, add strawberry puree, and beat until smooth, 3 to 5 min. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.