Crazy week. Just....crazy. It was like I didn't have a single minute to breathe. But somehow I found time to play around in the kitchen and make up a batch of to-die-for strawberry cupcakes! I have been craving strawberries for weeks now, which is not good when you live in Michigan and it's the middle of winter. Michigan grows the absolute best strawberries you've ever tasted and there is nothing better than stopping by some little roadside fruit stand to get some just picked berries. However, it's January. So I settled for some barely passable California strawberries from the grocery store and pulled together my Strawberry Dream Cupcakes!
I started off with the Champagne Cupcake recipe I used a couple of weeks ago. This cupcake is pretty sturdy, which I needed since I wanted to use a pretty substantial filling in these cupcakes. Plus, strawberries and champagne go so well together! Next, I added a strawberry creme filling. The filling was so good, it almost didn't make it into the cupcakes! I ended up having to add some vanilla and powdered sugar to sweeten up the filling. I'm blaming this on the California berries...I think when my favorite Michigan berries come into season, I'll be able to leave this step out. Finally, I tried several different types of strawberry frosting and finally settled on one I found over at Pretty Good Food's blog. The taste is amazing, but the overall cupcake turned out very sweet. Next time, I'll be sticking to the mini cupcake size with this recipe as those were just perfect! Or, if you wanted to cut down on the sweetness for a regular size cupcake, a white chocolate ganache could be a good substitute for the strawberry frosting.
Ingredients - Champagne Cupcakes
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp clear vanilla
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup champagne or sparkling wine
Preparation - Champagne Cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar, 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat after each addition.
4. Add vanilla and mix until combined.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
6. In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream and sparkling wine.
7. Add flour and wine mixtures to the butter/sugar mixture alternately, beginning and finishing with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined after each addition.
8. Fill each cupcake tin with 3/4 cup of the way full with the batter.
9. Cook 17-22 minutes. (Mine took about 19 minutes for the regular size cupcakes and 12 for the mini cupcakes.) Transfer to wire rack and let cool.
10. Cut the center out of each cupcake in preparation for the filling. Trim the excess cupcake off the core, and save the top for covering the filling in the next step.
Strawberry Creme Filling
1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup whipping cream
2 T cornstarch
1/4 tsp clear vanilla
Preparation - Strawberry Creme Filling
1. Cook strawberries, whipping cream, and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Beat vanilla and powdered sugar into cooled strawberry creme.
4. Spoon into cupcake centers and cover with cupcake lid.
2 sticks butter
Pinch of salt
Pinch of salt
3.5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced and pureed
1. Cream butter and salt until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. Add powdered sugar in several batches, mixing well after each addition.
3. Add vanilla and mix well.
4. Add strawberry puree to taste and mix for 3 minutes.
Finished cupcakes should be kept refrigerated :)
No comments:
Post a Comment