Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

So here is my attack of the posts! Well, I can’t bring in just chocolate cupcakes, right? So what was a vanilla like cupcake I could bring in for Valentine’s Day that is Cute? Well, I like strawberry so why not, but I didn’t want a strawberry butter cream and thankfully Annie Eats also had a great strawberry swiss butter cream frosting for me to use! This frosting may give you some trouble, so make sure to constantly stir and not to over heat! Check the FAQ page for more details!

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Yields about 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Vanilla Cupcake

• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

Whipped Cream and Strawberry Filling

• 1 cup fresh strawberries, rinsed and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 table spoons granulated sugar

Strawberry Swiss Butter Cream

• 1/2 cup strawberries, washed and chopped
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cup butter, softened and divided into 2 tablespoons

Directions

Vanilla Cupcake

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners

1. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer, beat butter

• Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy
• Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the bowl
• Add vanilla extract

2. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt

3. Add the flour mixture and butter milk to butter mixture in 3 addition beginning and ending with the flour

4. Evenly distribute the batter into the tins, filling each about 2/3  and smooth the tops. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted to the center of the cake comes out clean.

5. Allow to cool completely before Frosting or filling

Whipped Cream Filling

1. Place stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

2. While those are chilling, cut the strawberries and core the cupcakes. If you don’t have a coring tool, just use a pairing knife or spoon to create a small hole in the middle, don’t go all the way to the bottom! If you want, try to keep the top of whatever you cut out whole so that you can place it over the filling. This isn’t necessary though

3. In the chilled bowl and whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream and sugar on medium high speed, until stiff peaks are formed.

3. Pipe the whipped cream and place the strawberries into the cupcake centers. Top with cupcake cutouts if you kept it

Strawberry Swiss Butter Cream

1. Puree the strawberries in a blender

2. Place the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl placed over a put of simmering water. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl so that you don’t cook the eggs.

3. Constantly whisk the eggs and sugar until it reaches about 160°F and the sugar has dissolved

4. Pour egg mixture into a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and beat on medium high speed until mixture has cooled and stiff peaks formed

5. Add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time.

• At this stage, the frosting might look soupy or curdled. It is OK! This takes a long time, trust me. Just keep on mixing!

6. Once all butter is incorporated and mixture is thick again, add the strawberry puree and continue to beat until the frosting comes together

• The recipe listed by Annie say’s to continue with the whisk attachment, however I switched to a paddle at this point and it worked fine. But patience is really needed with this frosting as it takes a while. 

Frost the cupcakes with a knife or using a pastry bag and maybe add some strawberries on top for garnish if you like!