Hey hey hey! I concocted these little nummies the other day, so I thought I’d share! I’m calling them Strawberry Sweetcake Cupcakes, because they are almost like a strawberry shortcake, but not. I didn’t have any fresh strawberries or heavy whipping cream on hand, and I didn’t want to have to go to the store. So, these were the result.

I made the cake of the cupcake with a shortcake recipe, and then I filled them with homemade strawberry freezer jam. I topped the shortcake with a strawberry flavored butter cream frosting, and well, they were pretty freaking good.

Strawberry Sweetcake Cupcake Recipe

I used this cupcake recipe. It made about 16 cupcakes.

Make the cupcakes and let cool. To hollow out the cupcake I always use a pear corer. I know this is odd. I have tried a cupcake corer and I think it makes too large of an opening. One day I was rummaging through my gadgets and there was a pear corer at the end of my melon baller, I tried it and now that’s what I use. What can I say? I’m a renegade baker.

You can get a baller/corer combo super cheap at the grocery store or Wal-Mart usually. I think I sent Eric on a midnight run onetime and he got mine there. Or just use a knife to cut out a little cone from the cupcake. Careful not to puncture a hole at the bottom of the liner. And I dare you not to pop every excess center in your mouth.

Fill the cupcakes with strawberry jam. I used straweberry freezer jam that my sister made as favors for Ginger’s baby shower. Yeah, over two years ago. Let the jam sit out so it is room temperature, or heat it up in the microwave briefly. This will make it easier to spoon in the cupcake. I used a little over 1 tablespoon per cupcake and dribbled the jam in the cupcake with a spoon.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

This is my basic buttercream frosting I jazz up every which way.

For 16 generously frosted cupcakes:

Cream 1 1/2 cups of room temperature unsalted butter. It’s better to have the butter too cold than too warm. Read: don’t melt it! Add a splash of milk…2-3 tablespoons, and then begin adding powdered sugar until the frosting is light and fluffy. About 3 cups. I don’t like my frosting super sweet so I just add as much as I need to get a fluffy consistency. Add 1 teaspoon of strawberry flavoring. If you don’t have that or don’t want to buy it you can add some jam to your frosting. BUT it will make it speckled and not as smooth.

To frost my cupcakes I used a giant star tip. If you just hold the tip at the center of the cupcake and gently squeeze out the frosting it creates one giant ridged dollop. This is a fantastic little video to acquaint you with the basic frosting tips.

Then you’re ready to decorate them as you see fit! Fresh strawberries would be fabulous! Like I said, I just didn’t have any!

Now, diet be damned! Happy baking!

xo,
Alison