Strawberry Cupcake Bliss

This just might be the perfect cupcake.  My hubby has been craving strawberries so I thought that strawberry cupcakes would be perfect for his birthday dinner.  But I have a confession: I have never made cupcakes from scratch.  There I said it.  I can't ever seem to get the texture just right.  Sometimes they are too dense.  Sometimes they are too dry.  So I was hesitant to try this recipe.

Then my mother-in-law, who always makes perfect cakes, gave me a couple of tips that revolutionized my baking.  First, flour is key.  I had been using more of a bread flour than a true soft, all-purpose flour.  Second, I was mixing too much.  Once you fluff the creamed butter and sugar, do as little mixing after that as possible.  Armed with my new knowledge, I was ready to give it a try.

The recipe I found was first featured on Martha Stewart courtesy of renowned cupcake baker Candace Nelson of Sprinkles Cupcakes in LA.  However, I found a slightly tweaked version on gas•tron•o•my that incorporated a little more strawberry puree and sounded delicious! I went a step further and made my own Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting.  Who doesn't love cream cheese frosting?  I tackled the project with creative optimism and the final result: cupcake heaven!

Links:

1. Strawberry Cupcakes
2. Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
3. Sprinkles Cupcakes