Sprinkle's Strawberry Cupcakes

This recipe for delicious strawberry cupcakes is from Candace Nelson of Sprinkles Cupcakes.

The Martha Stewart Show, February Winter 2008

• Yield Makes 1 dozen

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature

• Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.

  2. Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.

  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.

  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.

  5. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

  6. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

  (for mini cupcakes bake 10 minutes)

Strawberry Frosting
I don't measure too much. Start with 1 stick softened butter. Add powdered sugar (quite a bit), vanilla, strawberry puree and a touch of milk. I just start mixing until it is how I want it.

Martha's One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

So the newest Martha Stewart Living came today and it had cupcakes on the cover - so I was sooooo excited! I read through all 15 cupcake recipes and decided to make this one. I love it and and will make it again and again. Not only is it super quick, it has hardly any fat in the recipe AND the cupcakes are super moist and taste nothing like a box mix. I am not going to tell how many I ate! I added the cream filling and now they are exactly like a hostess cupcake - only better!

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup warm water

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 TB oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with 18 paper liners. Sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, water, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. (Batter is very runny) Pour batter into prepared muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes.

Cream Filling
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup Marshmallow Fluff
1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
Beat filling ingredients until fluffy. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a "filling" tip. Insert the tip of the pastry bag about 1/2 inch deep into each cupcake; squeeze lightly to fill with cream. Top with chocolate glaze

Chocolate Glaze

2/3 cup heavy cream

4 ounces bittersweet (or dark ) chocolate chips

1 TB corn syrup

Heat cream in small saucepan over med. heat. Place chocolate and corn syrup in a small bowl. Pour hot cream over chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Let cool then dip the top of each cupcake into the glaze.