Strawberry Cupcakes

Oh how I loved New York - the sights, the sounds, the FOOD!!!   We tasted a lot of really fantastic food while we were in there.  We also made it our personal mission to sample as many of the cupcakes in New York City as we could possibly could eat.  (Why yes, it was a hard job but somebody had to do it.)

We sampled cupcakes at Sprinkles, Crumbs, Babycakes, the Little Cupcake Shop and macaroons at Bouchon.


We all agreed that the best cupcakes were at Sprinkles Cupcakes.

...  AND they had a cupcake vending machine.  A CUPCAKE ATM.  Seriously people - if that doesn't get your blood pumping - there's something wrong.

 We wanted to try ALL of the flavors but we resisted and sampled the dark chocolate,

the chocolate marshmallow (and another flavor that I can't seem to remember)

the red velvet and possibly the lemon ginger.

All I can say is that these were seriously delicious cupcakes.  My hat is off you you Sprinkles and even though my cupcakes will never compare, you've given me a new level of excellence to strive towards.

After tasting all of those delicious cupcakes in New York, I came home inspired to make cupcakes again. What better way to use some of the fresh strawberries that we picked on Monday?

Strawberry Cupcakes

2¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2¼ cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 egg white
1 cup whole milk
2 cups finely chopped fresh strawberries

1. Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.


2. Whisk together both flours, baking powder and salt; set aside.











3. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.













Add the eggs and egg white, on at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.


 


Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour in two batches, alternating with the milk, and beating until well combined.

Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the chopped strawberries by hand.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the lined cups, filling each three-quarters full.

Bake until golden and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Oh and just in case you've ever wondered what Mia does while I photograph food...

Total torture.
  
Transfer to pans to wire racks to cool for 15 minutes; turn out the cupcakes onto the rack and let cool completely.

Frost cupcakes with fresh whipped cream.

I made a quarter batch of dough and baked my cupcakes in mini muffin cups because lets face it - I have zero will power when it comes to cupcakes. 

These cupcakes were really yummy but you don't have to take my word for it - you can make them for yourself.

Ciao!