Then I came across Sprinkles' recipe, via Martha Stewart. I've never tasted their strawberry cupcakes, because who would, when you could eat chocolate?, but Sprinkles is so insanely popular, chances were good the recipe would work. This one also used real strawberries, but instead of cutting them in chunks, I whirred them into a puree in the food processor. They weren't the sweetest berries, but the sugar in the recipe compensated well. They rose and domed perfectly, the crumb was nice and light, and the cupcakes themselves tasted good. They also made excellent dinosaurs. My only complaint is that the strawberry taste didn't come through that strongly. Next time, I'd consider upping the puree just a bit and putting in one or two drops of pink food coloring to get the point across visually. If requested, I would definitely make this recipe again.



Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes
(Makes 1 dozen cupcakes or 2 dozen mini cupcakes)
2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
1 1/2 cups (6 3/8 ounces) flour, sifted (I am nearly certain I skipped this - maybe I whisked it around)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature (or straight outta the fridge, if you forget)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1 egg, room temperature (again, skipped - but you can give it a bath in some lukewarm water to take the chill off)
2 egg whites, room temperature (see above)
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line tin with cupcake liners.
Process strawberries in food processor (or blender) until pureed. You'll have about 1/3 of a cup, which is all you need. Any extra can be saved for the frosting or to add to a smoothie.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree. Set aside.
Cream butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat until well-combined and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium and slowly add the whole 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/strawberry mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add the rest of the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until just blended.
Scoop batter into prepared liners. Bake until the tops are just dry to the touch. That's about 22-25 minutes for big cupcakes and probably closer to 15 for mini cupcakes. Sprinkles says you can let the cupcakes cool right in the tin, but I like to remove them to a wire rack after 5-10 minutes so they don't sweat and get tough. Cool completely, then frost. I used my standard bakery icing with red sanding sugar. Eat.
3 comments:
Gorgeous.
That dish IS adorable... but those cupcakes look AMAZING!!! Way to go! LOVE LOVE LOVE the recipe. I will be trying it soon!
Blessings-
Amanda
Aw man, you shoulda tried mine too. I get a lot of compliments on that one actually!
http://justjennrecipes.com/real-strawberry-cupcakes/2008/04/28/
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