REAL STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES

REAL STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES

“Pink strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese frosting gets a fresh slice for garnish”


8 large strawberries or as needed
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. lemon zest
1-/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. instant vanilla pudding mix (optional)
1-drop red food coloring or as needed (optional)


Preheat oven to 325^. Spray cupcake cups with cooking spray, or line with cupcake liners.

Place 8 fresh strawberries into a blender, and blend until smooth. Pour the puree through a strainer to remove seeds. Puree should equal about ¾ cup. Set the puree aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, white sugar, vegetable oil, ½ tsp. vanilla extract, lemon zest, and strawberry puree until well combined. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt vanilla pudding mix (for a moister cupcake), and red food coloring to reach a desired shade of pink. Spoon the batter into cupcake cups, filling each about 2/3 full.

Bake in preheated oven until the cupcakes have risen and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool at least 10 minutes before frosting.

To make frosting, beat cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth, and mix in confectioners’ sugar and ½ tsp. vanilla extract to make lump-free icing. Frost each cupcake with about 2 Tbsp. of icing, and top each cupcake with a strawberry slice.

Yield: 12 servings.