Clear skies. Less humid. Low 53F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..
Clear skies. Less humid. Low 53F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Recently my sweet 94-year-old mother-in-law passed away. Family came in from Arizona and Colorado to pay their respects.
As they were in Elizabethtown for several days before and after the funeral, I wanted to prepare a dessert that could be eaten when they were craving something sweet. Since strawberries now are in season, I chose to prepare Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting from thenovicechefblog.com.
These cupcakes are made completely from scratch and use finely diced strawberries in the cake and frosting. Making a puree punches up the strawberry flavor. You will need 1 to 2 pounds of fresh strawberries, depending on whether a fresh strawberry is added on top of the frosting. I chose to use one pound and add colorful sprinkles on top of mine.
Start by preparing the strawberry puree. Dice eight strawberries and place them in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until the strawberries begin to break down. Stir often and use a masher to assist. Once the strawberries have thickened, divide the puree into two bowls and let cool in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two 12-cup pans with cupcake liners. Finely dice three more strawberries and set them aside. Begin preparing the batter. Sift the dry ingredients together — flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat four room temperature eggs until frothy. Gradually add sugar until well combined. Then add oil and vanilla extract.
Gradually add dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk. Remember you can make your own buttermilk by adding one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk in a measuring cup and letting it set for several minutes. The sequence should be dry, wet, dry, wet, and finally dry ingredients until well combined.
Add in the diced strawberries and one of the two bowls of cooled puree. I intensified the strawberry flavor a bit and added ½ teaspoon of strawberry extract. This can be purchased at most grocery stores.
Fill the liners ¾ full and bake for 13-15 minutes. If a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean, the cupcakes are done. If not, add one additional minute until the toothpick comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely by placing them on a rack before icing.
To prepare the buttercream frosting, finely dice four additional strawberries. Beat the softened butter until smooth and creamy. With our hot weather, I prefer to use half butter and half Crisco shortening. This meant I used ½ cup, or 1 stick, of butter and ½ cup of shortening. Using this mixture makes the frosting more stable in heat. The shortening needs to be a high-ratio shortening such as Crisco.
Slowly add the powdered sugar. Sift the powdered sugar to make sure all the lumps are out. Add the remaining bowl of strawberry puree and the four diced strawberries. If needed for spreading consistency, add 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Decorate the cupcakes with the strawberry buttercream frosting.
If you purchased two pounds of strawberries, add a fresh strawberry on top of each cupcake, if not, add sprinkles of your choice. These cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to seven days. Let cupcakes come to room temperature before serving.
These cupcakes not only look pretty with the colorful pink frosting, but are moist and taste delicious. My family members gave them a “thumbs up” and this is a recipe I will be making again. Enjoy, because life is sweet and precious.
Cherie Mingus is a retired teacher who taught family and consumer sciences at Central Hardin High School. She can be reached at cheriemingus@gmail.com.
Cherie Mingus is a retired teacher who taught family and consumer sciences at Central Hardin High School. She can be reached at cheriemingus@gmail.com.
1 cup cooking oil, (vegetable or canola)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6-8 cups powdered sugar, depending on consistency wanted
2-4 tablespoons heavy cream, depending on consistency
Add half diced strawberries into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until strawberries break down and turn to puree, stirring often. You may need to use a masher depending on how ripe the strawberries are. Divide puree in half and place bowls in refrigerator to chill while you continue with recipe.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and fill two cupcake pans with cupcake liners, set aside.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until lightly frothy. Gradually add sugar beating about 30 seconds until well combined. Add oil and vanilla, beat till smooth.
Gradually add dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk, until all ingredients are added and batter is well combined. (Batter will be thin.) Fold in half of the strawberry puree and diced strawberries.
Divide into cupcakes liners, ¾ full. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely and frost with strawberry frosting.
Add butter to a large bowl or mixing bowl for stand mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, alternating with milk, until smooth.
Fold in remaining strawberry puree and diced strawberries, beat until well combined. Decorate cupcakes with frosting, and top with fresh strawberries if desired or sprinkles.
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