Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Strawberries are finishing up their season here in New York. I had wanted to get out to a “pick your own” farm, but did not manage it this time. The nearest farm by train looked to take about 3 hours one way. That requires a very early start, and would bring me right by the farmers market which is selling some fresh strawberries…

I went with some local and fresh options this time. Eventually I will get out to a farm to do some berry picking. In the meantime, I will enjoy these cupcakes!

Strawberry shortcake is a classic summer dessert. A lightly sweetened biscuit, strawberries, and a dollop of whipped cream to top it all off. I wanted to pay tribute to strawberry shortcakes in cupcake style. These strawberry shortcake cupcakes are every bit as delicious as the traditional and no fork is required!

I adapted the recipe for the cupcake batter from marthastewart.com

Ingredients
Cupcakes: (yields 24)

• 1 3/4 cups of cake flour, not self rising
• 1 1/4 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
• 2 cups of sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter softened, cut into cubes
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Strawberry Filling:

• 2 cups of strawberries, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of lemon zest
• 3/4 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch

Strawberry Butter Cream Frosting:

• 1 cup of strawberries, pureed and cooled
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

First I began by making the strawberry filling.

In a small sauce pan on medium low heat I added 2 cups of finely chopped strawberries. I let the strawberries simmer for about 5 minutes.

Once the berries began releasing their juices I added 1/2 of a cup of sugar, 1/4 of a teaspoon of lemon zest, and 3/4 of a teaspoon of lemon juice. I stirred the berries for 1 minute.

Using a small ramekin I added a few spoonfuls of the berry sauce and stirred in 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 of a teaspoon of cornstarch. I then added the cornstarch mixture back into the sauce. I stirred until slightly thickened and well incorporated. This took about 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, I transferred the strawberry filling to a glass bowl to cool.

Next I began preheating the oven to 325 degrees and lining the muffin tin.

While the oven was preheating I started the strawberry puree that would be necessary for the frosting.

In a small sauce pan I added 1 cup of pureed strawberries and brought the mixture to a boil.
Once boiling I reduced the heat to a simmer and stirred often, about 20 minutes.

Over a glass bowl I used a sieve to separate the seeds from the sauce. I set the bowl aside and let it cool.

While the strawberry sauce and filling were cooling I started on the cupcakes.

Over the mixer bowl I sifted in 1 3/4 cups of cake flour, 1 1/4 cups of unbleached flour, 2 cups of sugar, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, and 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt. I mixed the dries on low speed until incorporated.

To the dries on low speed I added in 2 sticks of butter until combined.

In a large bowl I whisked together 1 cup of milk, 4 eggs, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until incorporated.

In 3 parts I added in the egg mixture, scraping down the bowl between additions. I made sure to mix until just incorporated, making sure not to over mix the batter.

I scooped the batter into the muffin tin and baked them for 20 minutes rotating halfway through. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. I let the cupcakes cool.

While the cupcakes cooled I continued on the frosting.

In a mixer bowl I added 2 sticks of butter and 3 1/2 cups of sifted confectioners sugar. Mixing on low until well incorporated, about 5 minutes. I made sure to scrape the bowl.

To the frosting I added 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 3 tablespoons of the cooled pureed strawberries from earlier. I mixed in the strawberries for 5 minutes. I made sure to scrape the bowl.

To make sure the frosting was nice and fluffy, I turned the mixer on a higher setting and let it mix for 10 minutes.

To start assembly, I used a pairing knife to cut out a small round in the center.

I then filled the cupcakes with about 1/2 teaspoon of strawberry filling.

I replaced the top, and then frosted the cupcakes.

Yum! These are a fantastic play on the traditional strawberry shortcakes that I know and love. The cupcake tastes very similar to a classic shortcake. The strawberry filling adds a pleasantly sweet strawberry flavor hidden inside. Top it all off with the fluffy pink butter cream with a subtle strawberry flavor; it just puts these over the top.