Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Last year I lived in Provo and I loved our location. We had plenty of friendly neighbors very close to us (some of my best friends I've ever had), BYU campus only a few blocks away, a little park kitty-corner, and my favorite part was the library was only a short walk away.  I often would go there daily with Levi.  I really got into checking out cookbooks and one of my favorite books I checked out was 101 Gourmet Cupcakes.  It was a very simple book using cake mixes to make incredible cupcakes. Of the ones I tried this one was my favorite and a hit with everyone who I shared it with.


I remembered my brother-in-law James really liked them so this year I baked them up again for his birthday.  I think strawberry shortcake is really good but I think these cupcakes are amazing!  I love how soft they are and fun to eat.  


Something else I like about these cupcakes is that they are not too sweet.  Some cakes or cupcakes can be way too sweet for my liking. These are the perfect sweetness. :)  The whipping cream is a nice light touch to the cupcakes. You can use the recipe for whipping cream I've included or you can just buy cool-whip and even use the lite cool whip.  Either way it's very good!  

Strawberry Shortcake

Recipe from 101 Gourmet Cupcakes by Wendy Paul

Ingredients:

1 package white cake mix

2 eggs

1 cup whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. salt

2 cups diced strawberries

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 recipe whipped cream (*recipe below)

Directions:

Add sugar to strawberries in a medium bowl.  Stir and set aside.  Mix together cake mix, eggs, whipping cream, vanilla, and salt and beat until light and fluffy.

Pour 1-2 tablespoons batter into paper liners.  Add 2 tablespoons strawberry mixture on top.  Cover strawberries with more batter and fill ¾ full.  Save extra strawberries for garnish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Allow cake to cool slightly before serving with whipped cream and strawberries.

Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

¼-1/2 cup powdered sugar (depending on preference)

Directions:

Pour cream into large mixing bowl and start mixing at low speed.  Gradually increase speed until cream thickens and soft peaks form. 

Turn off mixer and add sugar.  Start slowly again.  Beat until stiff peaks form.

The stiffer the cream, the easier it is to frost the cupcakes.  Keep refrigerated.