Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe is from the box, friends!

I‘ve mentioned this before, and I’ll say it again, I’m not a “bougie” chef. I may like challenging myself and cooking an occasional over-the-top meal, but most of the time, I like to keep things simple. That’s one thing I love about this recipe.

Another thing about me is that I’ve never preferred baking cakes over cooking entrees. That’s mostly because I like changing every recipe I come across and when making a cake, you can’t play around with the ingredients or else you’ll have a disaster on your hands, but with that being said, these strawberry cupcakes are worth every bit of time and effort you spend on them! The good news is, that’s not much effort at all, and the end result is FANTASTIC.

There’s not much that can beat a good strawberry cake—or cupcakes— especially when they are topped with fresh strawberry cream cheese frosting, but it has to be the right kind - not too sweet and not too runny. That's why this frosting is my favorite. It fits all the categories above, while adding a nice touch to these cupcakes.

Helpful Tips

You want to be certain your strawberries are fully thawed prior to making these cupcakes. If not, the strawberries will be too heavy and will sink to the bottom. Also, bringing your butter and cream cheese to room temperature will make a difference in your overall results, so be sure to plan for a few minutes of extra time to allow your ingredients to thaw out a bit.

Ingredients:

• 1 box white cake mix

• scant 1/3 cup flour

• 3 oz. package strawberry Jell-O mix

• 10 oz frozen strawberries completely thawed and pureed in blender, reserve 1/4 cup for frosting

• 3 large eggs

• 1/4 cup applesauce

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1/4 cup water

Frosting Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature

• 6 cups powdered sugar

• 1-2 Tbsp heavy cream

• 1/4 pureed strawberries reserved

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

• Place the first 7 ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer. Blend on medium speed until smooth.

• Divide into you prepared cups filling 3/4 full.

• Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. NOTE: Your cupcakes will sink if you do not cook them long enough, and different locations mean different cooking times. Use your best judgment - and the toothpick test- and let these babies cook until they are done.

• Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

• Add the cream cheese and butter into the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, or until combined.

• Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low until combined, about 2 more minutes.

• Stir in 1/4 cup of pureed strawberries.

• Add heavy cream, slowly. Just a little at a time and whip until frosting is thick. Then beat, on low, 3minutes until soft and creamy.

• Top on cooled cupcakes.