Strawberry Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

Matilda is turning the big 1 (!!) in a few days and we had a birthday party for her yesterday. We made Melissa Ben-Ishay’s Strawberry Cupcake recipe with vanilla frosting from her Cakes cookbook. (I nearly made these with strawberry frosting too, but didn’t want to go to strawberry-ish for those that might prefer other flavors. That said, if you like strawberry, strawberry icing is the way to go. And, if you want an extra pop of strawberries, top each cupcake with a small pile of chopped up strawberries and put the icing around and on top of them so it’s a hidden surprise!).

I have to be honest and say these cupcakes were nothing short of amazing. The strawberry puree in the cucpake adds the perfect amount of sweet, not to mention the blush color it has was perfect for our blush and gold theme.

We also made some Rainbow Rice Krispie treats and those were gone in seconds! These deserts were just the perfect party foods!

Strawberry Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

Servings: 24 cupcakes
Time: 50 minutes + cooling time
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure (or homemade) vanilla extract
4 large eggs (room temperature)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup whole milk (room temperature)
1 3/4 cups strawberry puree (about 3 1/2 cups cleaned and hulled strawberries, pureed)

For the frosting:

1 box (about 3 1/2 cups) confectioners sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3-4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 drop red food coloring

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease mini cupcake tin and set aside.
With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 1 minute on high speed, then scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the granulated sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Add the vanilla extract. While mixing at medium-low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the edges of the bowl midway through.
Combine the flour, baking powder, and sea salt in a separate bowl. In another bowl, combine the milk and strawberry puree. With the mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture. When it’s mostly incorporated, add half the milk mixture. Add the remainder of the dry and wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Stop mixing as soon as you have a smooth batter.
Bake until cupcakes feel springy when you gently press your finger against them, about 25-30 minutes. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting: in a large bowl, with electric mixer at low speed, combine sugar, butter, milk and vanilla. Beat at medium speed 1 to 2 minutes, until creamy. If desired, add more milk until frosting is spreading consistency. Add 1 drop of red food coloring and mix quickly until just combined.
To assemble, dollop a spoonful of frosting on top of the (completely cooled) cupcake and spread in a circular pattern or pipe on desired decoration. Repeat until all cupcakes are frosted. Top with sprinkles, if desired. Enjoy!