Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Hello, Moms Need to Cook, fans! I’m Liz, the Hoosier Momma from Hoosier Homemade. I’m a SAHM of 3 teenage boys, that keep me running with their sports and school activities. I’ve been blogging a little over a year, I share lots of  baked goods, Budget Friendly Meals, and decorating tips and tricks, all to help you “Make Your House a Home.”

These cupcakes were inspired by the Cake Mix Doctor cookbook. Have you seen her cookbooks? Really great recipes and ideas using boxed cake mixes.

Strawberry Cupcakes:

• 1 white cake mix
• 1 ½ cups mashed ripe strawberries, with juice
• ½ cup oil
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and mix completely. Divide into cupcake liners, I use about ¼ cup each. Bake as directed on box, until toothpick comes out clean.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 (8oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon strawberry puree (see Note)
• 4 ½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Beat together softened cream cheese and butter, add strawberry puree, and slowly add powdered sugar until you get the right consistency.

Note: To make Strawberry Puree, like the picture above, clean and remove stems from 5-6 strawberries, depending on size. Place in small saucepan, add a small amount of water, 1-2 tablespoons and a sprinkle of sugar. **if your strawberries are extremely ripe, and you can mash them easily, you don’t need to cook them down. Bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes, until they mash easily. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes. Place small strainer on top of bowl, put a few spoons of berries in and mash with the back of the spoon. Discard the pulp that is left in the strainer and you will have strawberry puree.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries:

Wash and pat dry strawberries. Melt Wilton Candy Melts in the microwave for about 1 ½ minutes, stir completely, until all the wafers are melted.

Dip strawberries and place on wax paper lined cookie sheet, place in fridge to set.

Decorating:

I used a Wilton 1M Star tip in a Decorating Bag and then placed a strawberry on top gently. I added a small sprinkle of pink decorating sugar for extra color.

Enjoy!