Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Cream-Filled Vanilla Cupcakes With Strawberry Buttercream

Cupcake!

The flu hit our house like a ton of bricks this week and it hasn't been fun. Lily turned into a snot-machine (a cute snot machine, but still!) and all mama and daddy could do was pass each other some Kleenex and Theraflu and snuggle in bed all day long singing her favorite songs off-key.

Cups getting ready to be filled with sweet cupcaky batter
Lovely domes

Oh, and during those magic times when the drugs kicked in, we baked cupcakes. The cupcakes weren't actually for us, though. They went to a bridal shower for my sister's best friend, whom I've known since she was four years old. Sometimes, when I look at her, all grown up, engaged, almost married, I still see the four year old who helped me tease my sister mercilessly. (Well, she still does that. Good to know that some things don't change, huh!) So when I promised to bake her some cupcakes, I knew that these had to be special. I picked a simple Martha Stewart recipe for cupcakes, but then -- oh, then! -- I filled them with rich pastry cream and topped them with even richer strawberry buttercream made with fresh strawberries and the best butter I could find. Oh YEAH.

Guess who gets to eat the doughnut holes... :)

What can I tell you? These were really good! Actually, people at the bridal shower were asking my sister (I couldn't go - damn flu!) whether I had quit my job at the law firm to open a cupcake shop. Hehehe. The cupcakes had a nice, light crumb, and weren't too sweet - which is exactly what I was looking for. It's a great basic cupcake recipe that lets you play with fillings and toppings. I definitely recommend it!

Vanilla Cupcakes
(Makes 24 cupcakes) [made about 27 for me, but I didn't overfill]
(Martha Stewart)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk
Pastry Cream (I used the Tartine recipe for light pastry cream)
Strawberry Buttercream (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each egg. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to medium. Mix in 3 batches of flour mixture, alternating with 2 batches of milk. Raise speed to medium-high; mix until thoroughly blended, 10 to 20 seconds.

Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full with batter. Bake until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Let cool in tin on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from tin and decorate.

If filling with cream, use a small spoon or the tip of a knife to make a small hole in the center of each cupcake, going about half way through the cupcake. Fill the hole with cream and then pipe buttercream on top.

Strawberry Buttercream
2 sticks (16 tbsp) of butter, room temperature
1 cup strawberries, pureed (I measured out the strawberries first and then pureed them)
3-4 cups powdered sugar

Cream the butter in the mixer on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes. On slow speed, gradually add about 2 cups of powdered sugar and turn back up to high for a few minutes to really incorporate the sugar. Turn to slow speed again and fold in the strawberries. Add more sugar until desired consistency is achieved. Once all the sugar is incorporated, turn to medium-high for a few minutes to mix well.

40 comments:

  1. That strawberry buttercream looks amazing!

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  2. I love love love stuffed cupcakes. They just add such a nice element of surprise and of course extra flavor. The cupcakes look phenomenal. Hope you're feeling better!! :D

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  3. You make me hungry :(
    The look deeelish!

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  4. Oh my they look so good. I like the Strawberry Buttercream.

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  5. These were phenomenal!! I even hid a couple so I could enjoy one after the party! And extra delicious coming from you, the closest I have to an older sister :)

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  6. Great to see you posting recipes again!!! Missed it a lot.

    The cupcakes look fantastic. Hard to not want to lick the screen when your pregnant!

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  7. That strawberry frosting looks delicious! I'd love for you to submit this to the M&T Spotlight at http://www.makeandtakes.com/spotlight

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  8. Those cupcake liners are super cute.

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  9. How scrumptious! Those perky pink polka dots make me smile. :-)

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  10. Gosh these look so so good. Hope you all are feeling better!

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  11. I keep trying to add you to my Google Reader so I am notified of your new posts, but I get an error every time.

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  12. Hey, remember when you guys locked me in a bathroom in Las Vegas? I'm soooo glad you and Gigi bonded by making fun of me; it was super fun...NOT! Good thing I love you so much now :)

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  13. Oh, how beautiful! We'd love to share this one on our blogger recipe section of californiastrawberries.com! By the way, we just make your strawberry scones (from the iPhone app)this morning and they were fabulous. I'm actually posting the pic on our FB page at www.facebook.com/castrawberries
    We love your recipes!

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  14. @Ellie - hahaha, of course I remember! To be fair, you locked yourself in the bathroom. :)

    @Jodi - thank you! Yes, please share, I did make the buttercream using California strawberries (which, btw, are the best)!

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  15. I would love to just grab a spoon and dig into that buttercream!

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  16. These really look delicious and while its not yet breakfast time you have me pining for a cupcake :-). I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  17. I hope the flu is better by now. I don't have the flu but as far as sniffing goes; hayfever does the job just fine! Your cupcakes look totally delicious and what a great compliment from the bridal shower guests too.. :)

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  18. These look so good, I have to make them for Easter! The strawberry buttercream and pastry cream are chilling in the fridge, but I have a question about the cupcakes. Do you use 1 1/2 cups of butter? Or 12 tablespoons? The recipe is not clear. Thanks so much for such a wonderful food blog. Seeing new posts from you totally makes my day.

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  19. Dang they look good...especially that strawberry buttercream. Yummmmm!!! Hope you're feeling better! :)

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  20. Those look very good! I love cupcakes, in all the different shapes and flavours. Love your blog, good inspiration!

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  21. This recipe looks perfect. Strawberry buttercream = yummmmmmmmm. Thanks for sharing!

    Take care,
    -- Chelsey

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  22. Wow these cupcakes look awesome! I love a great cupcake. Thanks for posting and sharing this recipe!

    If you have time, feel free to check out my blog:

    http://www.simplygoodeating.com/

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  23. oh those cupcakes are adorable and look so tasty!

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  24. I saw these when you first posted them and I thought they looked yummy. Now I'm annoyed I didn't remember these when I made my strawberry cupcakes, this frosting would have been perfect!

    I absolutely love your blog and have been following you for quite a while now! I recently started my own blog, it would be great if you had time to visit it http://cafelula.wordpress.com/

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  25. I want a CUPCAKE!!!
    I don't even like cupcakes but these are enticing...

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  26. Hope all is going beautifully for you as a new mom, Irene. I miss your posts, but completely understand the world you are now immersed in. I still love checking in on your "backlist" of fabulous recipes now and then! :)

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  27. So happy I stumbled onto your blog. I am making these cupcakes right now for a retirement party tomorrow for my in'laws. So far the cupcakes and pastry cream have come out beautifully. I plan to add a little milk and strawberry preserves to the butter ream. But I am totally stressing over whether or not I need to refrigerate these overnight. I may just compromise with myself and put them in the car tonight... it's pretty cold out there.

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  28. These look so delicious! I can tell how soft these treats are from that last pic. Simply Yummy!

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  29. that buttercream looks irresistible. i love it that it doesn't look that smooth. it's so natural! well done!

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  30. Can I post this recipe to my blog and put it into my Newsletter. Of course with your permission only and I will mention your site and your a name.

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  31. These cupcakes are so pretty! The cream filling sounds delicious.

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  32. Caroline, sorry for the late reply. Of course you may.

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  33. I couldn't get the icing right... After three tries I just gave up! The powered sugar made little lumps each time, what am I doing wrong??

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  34. Hi, sorry for the late reply. Next time, make sure to sift the powdered sugar prior to using (mine always has lumps in it, especially if it's been humid) and add it slowly, kind of sprinkling it on top of the butter.

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  35. I am making these right now! They look great! :) Thanks so much for posting this recipe. :)

    I'll likely post it on my food blog later. :) Please check my blog out.
    ~Blessings y'all!

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