Sprinkles’ Strawberry Cupcakes

The recipe for these cupcakes was delivered to my email inbox a few weeks ago by Martha Stewart. She has been sending me “cookie of the day” recipes for months, but with the upcoming release of her new cupcakes book, recent emails have included cupcake recipes instead. I’m actually not a huge fan of strawberry cupcakes, but my mom loves them and I happened to have fresh strawberries in the fridge so I decided to give these a shot.

The cupcakes baked up nicely and were really moist! I adapted the frosting recipe a bit based on some of the comments – mainly replacing some of the butter with cream cheese. The recipe below reflects my changes. The frosting is fairly sweet but I liked it a lot, especially with the flecks of strawberry. Reviews of the cupcakes were mixed. My mom really enjoyed these but she prefers the other strawberry cupcake recipe I make (find it here) because the cupcakes contain actual strawberry pieces and not just puree. This frosting, however, was the winner! It’s always fun to compare recipes and I’m glad I tried this one!

Sprinkles’ Strawberry Cupcakes
from Candace Nelson of Sprinkles Cupcakes via MarthaStewart.com

Cupcakes
2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 large egg whites, room temperature

Frosting
1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
8 oz cream cheese
Pinch of coarse salt
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

To make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.

With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

To make frosting: Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners’ sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not overmix or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.