Light and fluffy white cake cupcakes flavored with a fresh strawberry puree, topped with a sweet cream vanilla cheesecake inspired icing.

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It is so great to be back! After the week we had in Texas last week. I’m excited to be posting again. The entire fridge had to be trashed, the power is back and fortunately the water is back up and running. So as you may imagine I’m playing catch up on some of these post that were meant to be scheduled last week.

This recipe was a fun first for me. The thought process was simply strawberry cheesecake I adapted my classic white cake recipe to include pureed fresh strawberry to give some natural flavor and pale pink color. I whipped the frosting similar to a no bake cheesecake for a creamy light whipped topping and I threw on some chocolate covered strawberries last minute because why not!

This recipe other than being gorgeous came out surprisingly light and fluffy. I was concerned the puree wouldn’t color the cupcakes enough and that it would weigh down the cupcakes. Resulting in a dense, puck like cupcakes that can make any baker weep. These cup cakes turned out light and fluffy and honestly did remind me of strawberry cheesecake especially after I chilled them! Check out my tips and tricks below for the best strawberry cheesecake cupcakes. Try this recipe out and let me know what you think!

TIPS & TRICKS FOR THE BEST STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE CUPCAKES:

taste the strawberries: for this recipe the strawberry is the star. so you want to make sure it stands out. for me my strawberries were a touch on the bitter side and could have ripened a little while more. so to rectify the situation as i made the puree i added one tablespoon of sugar to amplify the flavor. the puree should be sweet to help the natural flavor of the berries not shockingly sweet so tame the berries as needed.

strain the strawberries: the key to any good puree in baking is straining through a fine mesh strainer that will keep the puree from having seeds and pulp that will result in a lighter and fluffier batter.

add the strawberry puree first: so my thought in putting these cupcakes together was to make it light and fluffy as possible. i knew the undoing of this cake would be the puree, but where should i add it? i figured it would be best to add closer to the beginning way before the dry ingredients for two reason. so that it gets incorporated and to have an opportunity to adjust the color incase it didn’t turn out pink enough.

no bake cheesecake: think no bake cheesecake when it comes to this frosting. it whipped exactly like a cheesecake minus the eggs so that you can eat it straight from the bowl!

lumpy frosting: if your frosting is lumpy it might mean that your butter or cream cheese isn’t soft enough. to rectify that you need to microwave the frosting at 15 second interval whipping in between to remove the lump. then chill the frosting. do not microwave unattended.

SIMILAR INGREDIENTS TO:

1. CLASSIC POUND CAKE
2. BLACK PEPPERCORN SHORTBREAD BISCUITS
3. SPICED APPLESAUCE CAKE

ENJOY THIS RECIPE WITH:

1. PAN AU CHOCOLAT BREAD PUDDING
2. CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
3. CREAMY LEMON BARS

INGREDIENTS:

STRAWBERRY CUPCAKE BATTER:

• 3/4c Strawberries. blended + 4Tb Sugar
• 1 3/4c Cake Flour
• 2tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2tsp Salt
• 1/2c Butter
• 1Tb Vanilla
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2c Milk
• 1c Sugar

CHEESECAKE FROSTING:

• 2 ( 8oz) Cream Cheese Blocks, softened
• 1.5c Powdered Sugar
• 1Tb Vanilla Extract
• 1/2tsp Salt
• 1/2c Butter, softened
• 3 Drops Rose Food Coloring, optional

DIRECTIONS:

• MAKE PUREE: To make puree start off by blending enough strawberries to make 3/4c of puree. i used about two cups of fresh strawberries to achieve this.
• CREAM BUTTER: Add in butter, salt and sugar together till pale, light and fluffy. Then add in strawberry puree till its doubled in volume and a pale pink.
• ADD IN WET: Add in eggs one by one till fully incorporated to the batter. Then add in milk and vanilla. Add in food coloring at this point if the color dissipate.
• ADD IN DRY: Add in sifted baking powder and flour only mix till its combined. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes before adding it into the cupcake tins.
• BAKE: Line and spray cupcake tins with cooking spray. Add in a generous scoop to each one. ( I used a ice cream scoop). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
• COOL: Stick a toothpick into the cupcake to insure doneness. Let cupcakes cool to the touch before frosting.
• MAKE FROSTING: To make frosting combine all ingredients listed under cheesecake frosting untill a light and smooth frosting forms.
• DECORATE: Once cupcakes are cooled. Add frosting to a piping bag and pipe enough frosting to cover the top. Decorate as desired.