Strawberry Muffins

Streusel-Topped Strawberry Muffins


In keeping with the strawberry theme this week, I made Sean some strawberry muffins! He has been requesting them for weeks now, but I had never made (or eaten for that matter) strawberry muffins.

Well, turns out they were quite easy! As usual, I made them Giant muffins!

I found this recipe from Taste of Home, and what's handy about it is they list the nutrition information at the bottom, so you don't have to try and calculate how many calories you are eating. The bad news...since I made them giant, they are 426 Cals a piece, twice what I usually eat for breakfast :( I guess I will be leaving most of these for Sean to enjoy.

Moist Yummy Strawberry Pieces

MUFFINS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup strawberry yogurt (1 1/2 containers of yo-plait)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

STREUSEL TOPPING

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons cold butter

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. 
2. In another bowl, combine eggs, yogurt and sour cream; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. 
3. Fold in strawberries. 
4. Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full.
5. For topping, combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over batter.
6. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Yield: 6 giant muffins, or 12 regular size.

A couple bites in!

Strawberry Cupcakes

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes, Filled with Strawberry filling, frosted with a Strawberry Buttercream


One of Sean's co-workers had a birthday and requested Strawberry cupcakes, which is great because its Strawberry season now, and I had been craving strawberries!

Now, I made these on a Monday night, and was very tired.... so unfortunately, I only have one picture:

But they were very delicious. The filling was sweet, but it worked well. 

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes (from Cupcake Project)

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 T Vanilla Bean Paste
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup full-fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup canola oil 
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. In a small bowl, combine sugar and vanilla bean paste. 
3. Using the back of a spoon, move around the bowl and apply pressure to break up any clumps of seeds and to better infuse the vanilla flavor into the sugar. Set aside.
4. In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add the vanilla bean sugar and mix until well combined.
6. Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes. 
7. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
8. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.
9. Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined.
10. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
11. Bake for 14-16 minutes
12. When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins and leave them on a cooling rack (or just on your counter if you don't own a cooling rack) to cool.

Strawberry Filling (from Wilton)

This made waaaay too much. I would only make 1/4 or 1/2 for 24 cupcakes

• 1 pkg (16 ounces) frozen sliced strawberries , packed in sugar and thawed
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Drain strawberries; reserving liquid. (I bought a 24oz container and reserved some strawberries and liquid for another time.You will need extra strawberry liquid for the frosting)
2. Add enough water to liquid to equal 1 1/4 cups. 
3. In large saucepan, combine strawberry liquid, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice; mix well. 
4. Heat and stir until mixture boils and thickens. 
5. Cool completely. 
6. Stir strawberries into the cooled mixture. 
7. Refrigerate until ready to use.
8. Core the cupcakes (i use my handy corer, which is awesome!)

Strawberry Frosting

I kind of made this up... I used a basic buttercream base to start. (this will frost 12 cupcakes)

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp strawberry extract
• 4-5 Tablespoons of strawberry liquid (reserved from filling) or more to taste

1. Beat butter and powdered sugar.
2. Add strawberry extract and beat until combined
3. Add strawberry liquid and beat until combined and fluffy. 
4. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or a T of milk if too thick. 
5. Pipe onto cupcakes. 

Now, I wasn't there to see the results, but Sean said they got 'rave reviews'. Actually, I frosted half of these with my hot fudge buttercream....like a chocolate covered strawberry...yummy!

White Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes

White Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Whipped Cream Frosting

My mom and I are off to the wineries in Defiance, MO in the morning and needed a snack to bring along. I have been wanting to try this recipe for White Chocolate Cupcakes for awhile now. The recipe originally called for a Strawberry Buttercream, but I have left-over whipping cream from my 'sturdy' buttercream and it goes bad rather quickly, so I opted to do a strawberry whipped cream frosting instead.

White Chocolate Cupcakes (from Raspberry Eggplant)
(makes 28 cupcakes)

• 8 ounces good quality white chocolate, chopped (I use Ghirardelli)
• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler. 
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set it aside. Whisk the milk, yogurt, and vanilla into a medium bowl and set it aside.
4. Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. Add half of the flour mixture, all of the milk mixture, and the remaining flour mixture, mixing well after each addition. Add the melted white chocolate. Mix on low speed to combine.
6. Fill cups and bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes and let them sit on the rack until they are completely cooled. 

The cupcakes came out good, but kind of dense. My boyfriend said they are kind of like muffins.

Pretty Little Cupcakes

Strawberry Whipped Cream Recipe (from Cupcake Project)

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream 
• 1/3 cup sugar 
• 4 tablespoons food processed strawberries (take some fresh strawberries, wash them, remove the stems, and throw them in the food processor until they become a thick, seedy liquid) 

1. Whip cream until it looks like whipped cream. 
2. Mix in sugar. 
3. Mix in strawberries until just combined. 
4. Be sure to frost your cupcakes before you eat all of the strawberry whipped cream.

This was fabulous and simple! It tastes so fresh and light! This made exactly enough to frost 24 cupcakes, so you might want to double it. 

I used tip #2D which was a poor choice, the strawberries kept getting stuck in it!

Look at that Yummy Frosting!