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Cupcakes: Pretty-in-Pink Strawberry Cupcakes

Source of Recipe


From "Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor" by Anne Byrn






List of Ingredients



• 1 (18.25-ounce) package plain white cake mix
  
• 1 (3-ounce) package strawberry gelatin
  
• 1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries with juice, from 1-1/2 cups whole berries
  
• 3/4 cup milk
  
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  
• 4 large eggs
  
• Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
  
• Pink and white sprinkles, for garnish (optional)
  
• 24 strawberry slices, for garnish (optional)
  






Instructions



1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350° F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.
   
   
2. Place the cake mix, gelatin, strawberries and juice, milk, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three-quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.
   
   
3. Bake the cupcakes until they are lightly golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting. (Meanwhile, prepare the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting.) Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread it out with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. Place in the refrigerator, uncovered, and chill until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. Sprinkle the sprinkles over the frosting and place a strawberry slice in the center of each cupcake, if desired.
   
   Makes 22 to 24 cupcakes.
   
   .........
   
   STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
   
   • 1 (8-ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
   • 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
   • 3 to 3-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
   • 1/2 cup mashed, drained fresh strawberries
   
   Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add 3 cups of the confectioners' sugar and the drained strawberries. Blend the frosting on low until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed to medium and blend the frosting until fluffy, 30 to 45 seconds longer, adding up to 1/2 cup more sugar if needed to make a spreadable consistency.
   
   Makes about 3 cups,
   enough to frost 24 cupcakes generously.