Strawberry Rhubarb Cupcakes!

When I think of summer... I think of those hot days when my mama would have giant pots of rhubarb compote simmering on the stove while we (me and my sisters) went out and weeded the garden. We all HATED weeding the garden but when we finished we got vanilla bean ice cream and fresh rhubarb compote... So everything turned out okay :)

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cupcakes!

 

Ingredients:

2 and 3/4 cup                           All-purpose flour
1/2 cup                                     Cake flour
1 tbls.                                       Baking powder
1 tsp.                                        Sea salt, fine
1 cup                                        Unsalted butter, room temp
2 and 1/4 cup                           Sugar
3                                               Eggs, large
1                                               Egg white, large
1 cup                                        Whole milk
1 and 1/2 tsp.                            Pure vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean)
                                                

Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together AP flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk until fully incorporated (scraping down sides as you go). Spoon evenly into cupcake liners and bake until done (toothpick comes out clean). Cool completely.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote:

2 cups                                       Fresh strawberries, sliced
2 cups                                       Fresh rhubarb, diced
1 tbls.                                        Lemon juice
1/2 cup                                      Sugar
2 tbls.                                        Corn starch


Combine strawberries, rhubarb, and lemon juice in 2 quart saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally until fruit in tender. Combine sugar and cornstarch and stir into fruit. Continue cooking until mixture comes to a boil. Continue boiling for 1 minute until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Once cooled, pour into food processor and pulse until fruit pieces are broken down but not "pureed." (Whatever you don't use in cupcake recipe store in airtight container in the fridge for up to a week).

Strawberry-Rhubarb Frosting:

3 sticks                                Unsalted butter, room temp
6-8 cups                                Powdered sugar
                                              Strawberry Rhubarb compote
                                              Brown sugar (for sprinkling)


In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream butter until lightened. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until fully incorporated (6 cups to start). Add compote by the tablespoons until mixture is "pipe-able" not watery. Add powdered sugar as needed. Pipe onto cupcakes or spread with an offset (or butter knife) for a "rustic" look. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

Strawberry-Lemonade Cupcakes!

"Summer, summer, summer, summertime... Time to sit back and unwind".... Oh you know, just listening to Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince while everyone else goes on vacation.... But not me! Nope.... Just me and my tall glass of strawberry lemonade.... So here is my little tribute to summer.

Summertime.

Strawberry-Lemonade Cupcakes!

 Ingredients:

1 cup                              Unsalted butter, room temp
2 cups                             Sugar
4                                     Eggs, room temp
1 tsp.                              Pure vanilla extract
3 tbls.                             Lemon juice + zest
3 cups                            All-purpose flour
1/4 cup                           Powdered lemonade
2 tsp.                               Baking powder
1/2 tsp.                           Sea salt, fine
1 cup                              Milk

Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla and lemon juice. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, lemonade, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk until fully incorporated (make sure to scrape down sides of bowl a couple times). Pour into cupcake liners and bake until done (toothpick comes out clean). 

Strawberry Buttercream:

1 cup                          Unsalted butter, room temp
4 cups                         Powdered sugar
1/4 cup                       Strawberries, pureed
1 tbls.                         Lemon juice
                                  Lemonheads (optional)


In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream butter until lightened. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until fully incorporated. Beat in strawberry puree and lemon juice.
  
  

Cherry-Almond Tea Cakes!

I made these not-too-sweet little "tea cakes" or cupcakes for my Mamas birthday. I was inspired by her favorite ice cream flavor (and only request for the day), black cherry vanilla. So I used my basic vanilla cupcake recipe, added vanilla bean, almond extract, and fresh black cherries! I also dusted the cakes with powdered sugar for a touch of sweetness. SHE LOVED THEM! Happy Birthday Mama!

Cherry-Almond Tea Cakes!

 Ingredients:

1 cup                             Unsalted butter, room temp
1 and 1/2  cups              Sugar
3 cups                            All-purpose flour
3 tsp.                             Baking powder
1 tsp.                             Sea salt (fine)
4                                    Eggs, room temp
1 cup                             Milk
1                                    Vanilla bean, de-seeded
2 tsp.                              Almond extract
1 and 1/2 cups               Black cherries, chopped
24                                  Black cherries, whole, reserved with stems
                                      Powdered sugar, optional



Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla bean seeds and almond extract. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk until fully incorporated (scraping down sides as you go). Fold in chopped cherries. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full of batter and push a whole cherry in the center of each, stems up. Bake until done (toothpick comes out clean). Let cakes cool and dust with powdered sugar.