Monday, August 23, 2010

Cutest-Ever Cupcakes

Remember those cutest-ever cupcake kits I gave away?  Yesterday I used them to make the cutest-ever cupcakes.


I adapted Candace Nelson's recipe for Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes from marthastewart.com because honestly, why reinvent the wheel. The recipe yields exactly 12 cupcakes, is easy and doesn't require ingredients you wouldn't ordinarily have on hand. Perfect.



Please note, there's nothing -- nothing -- healthy about these cupcakes, which is why they're a once-in-a-rare-while treat.



Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes
Adapted from Candace Nelson via marthastewart.com

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsweetened strawberry puree, from about 2/3 cups fresh or frozen strawberries (thawed)
1/4 cup lowfat or whole milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 whole egg, room temperature
2 egg whites, room temperature

For the frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, firm and cool to the touch but not cold
Pinch salt
1/2 lb. (about 1 3/4 cups) confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened strawberry puree

Make the cupcakes:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with super-cute paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the strawberry puree, milk and vanilla. Set aside.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat to combine.

5. Stop the mixer and add the flour mixture. With the mixer on low speed, drizzle in the liquid ingredients as the flour mixture incorporates. Beat until just combined.

6. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin and bake on the center oven rack for 22 to 26 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back when gently pressed with your fingertip. (My cupcakes baked for exactly 26 minutes and I rotated the tin front-to-back halfway through baking.) Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack.

Make frosting and assemble cupcakes:
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and salt until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add half the confectioner's sugar and beat until combined, then repeat with the remaining sugar. Add the strawberry puree and vanilla and beat until puree is evenly distributed, being careful not to incorporate too much air. The frosting should be thick like ice cream.

2. Frost, decorate, eat.



P.S. Meredith has yet to claim her cupcake kit. YO, MEREDITH! Send me an email with your mailing address so I don't have to raffle off your kit to someone else!

4 comments:

  1. wow those are cute! Meredith you better claim them before i do, haha.

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  2. Those look tasty! Mmmm...I can't wait to make my own!

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  3. Yeah Maredith come on! Is she doesn't want it I'll take it of your hands no problem. These are seriously cute.

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  4. Nothing is prettier than pink cupcakes. Those are sooo adorable. Maybe I'll make cupcakes soon. :)

    I've been gone for over two weeks (and a bad blog reader the two weeks before that) and totally missed your new blog look. It's so fresh and pretty! I love it!

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