strawberry cupcakes

So on my 3rd attempt with the strawberry cupcake project, I think I've got it.  I made a strawberry batter from scratch that was similar to the vanilla batter but less sugar made a big difference.  On the 2nd attempt, I found that the cupcakes came out almost blue, like I had used blueberries.  That's no fun, so I added a little bit of strawberry jam to color it up, along with a few dallops of food coloring for good measure.  The result was great - more strawberry flavor & more strawberry color!

Then I cranked out a strawberry frosting.  The secret to avoiding a liquid frosting result like last time is to build up more of a base to support the pureed strawberries.  More butter - less milk - more fresh strawberries!

The white filling you can see in this photo is a strawberry whipped cream.  The only downfall of using a whipped cream filling is that after enough time passes, the cake will absorb the cream.  This component has to be added no more than 4 hours before consumption.  It really does add a little extra something so it's worth it!

The final step is adding fresh cut strawberries right before serving.  If you add them too far in advance the strawberries will start to absorb the sugar in the frosting and get mushy.
 

The bisected view of the cupcake - creamy strawberry filling complimented by moist strawberry cake & fresh strawberry frosting on top - all made with real strawberries - nothing fake about it!