Baking - Strawberry Cupcakes (yum!)

Back from Portland - beautiful city! Wish I got to stay longer...especially with the no sales tax and all. Dude, why are Oregon and NewJ my fave states right now? No sales tax in either! Wait a sec...neither of them allow self-pumping of gas either...somehow connected?? Ok, enough of that and onto cupcakes -->

These cupcakes are pretty gosh darn yum and perfect for the summertime. Aren't strawberries the fruit most representative of hot, summer days? The only exception I can think of is watermelon? But I can't imagine making any sort of baked goods with a melon...not my thing.

The pictures are a bit sparse as I had to rush through some of the steps in order to get everything done for the Neudecker 4th of July BBQ. Really need to work on my time management. Anyway, try the recipe and let me know how it goes!

Macerate the strawberries for 15min.
Add sugar to taste...these guys didn't need any.
Hard to tell here, but it's such a pretty pink color!
Smells yummy too.
Throw down two tablespoons of batter.
Add one dollop of yummy strawberry preserves.
Top off with another tablespoon of batter.
--three red velvets on the side--Recruit helper to decorate appropriately.

ingredients:
cupcakes -
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup strawberry sauce (*see below)
1/4 cup any-fat milk

strawberry sauce -
2 cups of fresh strawberries, cut in half and stem removed
sugar to taste

cream cheese frosting -
8 ounces or 1 package of cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
approximately 1/4 cup of strawberry sauce

directions:

cupcakes -

Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each. It should look pale and fluffy. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir mil milk and strawberry goodness together in another bowl. That's three bowls total. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine. Add about one third the milk/strawberry sauce mixture and beat until combined. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.

Bake for 20-22 minutes at 350F until a cake tester comes out clean.

strawberry sauce -
Heat strawberries in a small saucepan and heat under medium heat with lid on for about 15 minutes till strawberries become soft and mushy. Adjust sweetness with sugar. Throw in a blender/food processor to achieve desired consistency. Cool before using in recipe.

cream cheese frosting -
Bring cheese and butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl. Beat butter and cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add half of the sugar, beat until combined. Add strawberry sauce until you achieve the right color and flavor, making sure not to add too much or the frosting will be too soft. Gradually add remaining sugar (or more if needed) to get the right consistency. I threw it in the fridge for a bit before frosting to make it a bit more firm. This recipe makes a disproportionate amount of frosting, but it was fine by me! I'll be topping crispy bagels with it or dipping even more strawberries in it for a fun afternoon snack! :)