Last weekend I made these pretty, spring-y Strawberry White Chocolate Cupcakes for my sister-in-law’s baby shower where they got rave reviews. They feel quite elegant making them a great dessert for a shower, luncheon or even a cocktail party.
Strawberry White Chocolate Cupcakes
Strawberry Cupcakes
1 1/2 C self-rising flour
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 C butter
2 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3/4 C pureed strawberries
1/4 C half & half
Strawberry Filling
1 C pureed strawberries (approx 2/3 pint)
1/4 C sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp cornstarch
White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese (room temp!)
6 Tbsp butter (room temp!)
2-3 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbsp half and half
8 oz white chocolate
For cupcakes, preheat oven to 350. Combine flours in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time and beat in vanilla. Puree strawberries in a small food processor or blender and transfer to a glass measuring cup to get the right amount. Pour half and half into the measuring cup to equal one cup total and mix well. Alternately add one-third of flours and one-third of strawberry mixture, beating well after each addition until all ingredients have been added. Spoon mixture into lined muffin pans, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake for 24-26 minutes for large cupcakes or 17-20 minutes for standard cupcakes. Let cool completely before filling or frosting.
For filling, puree strawberries and transfer to a small sauce pan. Over medium heat, whisk in sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Cook for about 10-13 minutes, stirring occasionally until mixture is moderately thickened – more like a jam. Refridgerate for about an hour until cool.
To fill cupcakes, use a paring knife to carve “cones” out of the center of each cupcake, going about half way down the cupcake. Remove the cone and trim off 2/3 of it so that only a thin cap of cake remains. Spoon filling into the hole and place the cake cap back on top.
For frosting, begin by melting white chocolate in a double boiler until melted but just warm. (Don’t have a double boiler? I just used a Pyrex bowl fitted on top of a large sauce pan containing about 1 1/2 C water). In a large bowl, beat together room temperature butter and cream cheese until well combined. Beat in vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time until mixture is moderately sweet. Let chocolate cool just slightly but not so much that it begins to harden. Pour into frosting and beat well on high. Beat in additional powdered sugar if mixture is not sweet enough or half and half to get a creamier consistency. Warning: The white chocolate may clump slightly in the frosting. Beat really well to minimize them, however they’re not that noticeable once you’ve frosted the cakes. Frost cupcakes to cover the filling hole and top with a sliced strawberry for garnish.
Makes 15 Texas size cupcakes or about 30 standard cupcakes.
