Strawberry Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream

With strawberries being so inexpensive right now, I have been buying them every time I go to the store.  Sometimes, my kids will eat them for a snack, sometimes I will eat a whole container by myself,  and sometimes they rot in the fridge because I am saving them for something.  You know you've done it.  Let fruit rot in the fridge because you are saving it for something.  No one knows what that something is, but we all do it. 
No more rotting berries! Seize the day!  Take out the berries and dip them in chocolate, or eat the whole container over the sink.  Or best yet, make cupcakes!!

These cupcakes are delish. I love the soft pink of the icing and the bits of strawberry in them.  The cupcakes were moist with bits of berry in them as well.  For some insane reason, the cupcake itself tasted like banana to me, and upon bringing them to church to share, someone asked me if they were banana.  But they didn't smell like banana, and my husband and kids thought I was nuts for mentioning a banana flavor.  Very strange, but no matter which way you bite it, they tasted fabulous. 


STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES
adapted from apronofgrace.com
yield: 24 cupcakes plus a small cake


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup softened butter
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 egg whites
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups strawberry puree
• 3 cups cake flour (I used 1 1/2 cups regular)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• heavy pinch salt
• 1 cup buttermilk

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350.    Line cupcake tins with liners, or grease/flour pans. Beat butter and sugar for 3 minutes.  Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating in between.  Add vanilla and strawberry puree and beat another few minutes (you can add 1 tsp. red food coloring here if you want).  Whisk together dry ingredients and add in 3 increments, alternatively with buttermilk to the butter mixture, mixing well in between each addition.  In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into batter.  Fill cupcakes to 3/4 full.  Bake cupcakes for 22-24 minutes (until toothpick comes clean) and cake for 30-34 minutes. 
Cool  completely before frosting.


FRESH STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 stick softened butter
• 3 oz. softened cream cheese
• 4 TBSP strawberry puree
• 1/2-1 TBSP milk or cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 5-6 cups confectioners sugar (more if needed)

DIRECTIONS:
Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Add 1/2 the sugar and 1/2 the strawberry puree and extracts.  Beat well.  Add remaining sugar, puree, and milk and beat until fluffy, adding more sugar if too soft, and puree or milk by the tsp if too stiff. Frost and eat!