Strawberry Cupcakes

Recently, strawberries were on sale so I got a whole bunch of them and wanted to use them all up before they went bad. I made jam and strawberry bread and several strawberry salads. I also made these yummy strawberry cupcakes. Since I was out of powdered sugar, this was the perfect opportunity to try a boiled frosting. They turned out amazing!!

Strawberry Cupcakes

2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries (thawed), plus another 4 or 5 strawberries chopped up and set aside
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 to 10 drops of pink or red food coloring (I use the all natural kind but this step is entirely optional)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 large egg whites, room temperature
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.

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; set aside. (I always push the strawberry purée through a mesh sieve to get all the seeds out, but that is optional.)

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, food coloring (if using) 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. Sprinkle reserved chopped up strawberries over each.

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.



Strawberry Marshmallow Frosting

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
4 egg whites
1 (3 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
Directions

In a small saucepan, stir together the sugar, water and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and cook to 240 degrees F (116 degrees C) or until a the mixture makes a wispy thread when dripped from a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatin. Set aside for just a second while you start the egg whites. If it starts to look weird, give it a quick stir. The gelatin mixture may look grainy, but it will smooth out once it gets mixed in.
Whip egg whites in a clean dry bowl to soft peaks. If you have a stand mixer, use it, otherwise you may need a helper to whip while you pour. Slowly pour, or spoon the sugar mixture into the egg whites while continuing to whip to stiff glossy peaks. Use to frost a cake or cupcakes. You should use it right away since it sets very quickly and if you wait too long it will be too hard to spread or pipe.

This frosting does not need to be refrigerated, in fact, sometimes it can get runny if you refrigerate it.

You can also make this with unflavored gelatin and add a few drops of vanilla. It tastes just like marshmallows :)



For those of you who prefer a buttercream frosting, this is the recipe I typically use:

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
Pinch of coarse salt
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. Push purée through a mesh sieve to remove seeds. 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.