My roommate and I would skip class or reward ourselves for making it to class, by driving Bev Hills to get our cupcake fix.  This was when getting Sprinkles meant waiting in a ridiculous line that went around the block.

Thank you Sprinkles for putting cupcakes on the map.  Candice Nelson took cupcakes to another level, turning the pastry world upside.  What was once made at home with box mixes and canned frosting became a gourmet, highly desirable commodity.  It encouraged people to make better cupcakes.  There was more focus on appearance and flavor than ever before.  In elementary school, I had the choice of vanilla or chocolate.  Nowadays, you get combinations like maple bacon, blueberry cheesecakes, and s’mores cupcakes.

Despite the availability of cupcakes around me (Sweets for the Soul, Lark Cake Shop, Crumbs Bakery to name a few), I don’t think anything beats a homemade cupcake.

To make my cupcakes unique, I enlisted the help of my favorite secret ingredient.  In this case, ground freeze dried strawberries.  Freeze dried fruits give baked foods this vibrant natural color that is unattainable with food colorings and gels.  Without it, these strawberries cupcakes would turn out tan or light brown in color once baked.

Strawberries are out of season in the Winter, but thanks for the marvels of modern farming and technology, you can get strawberries and practically any other fruit throughout the year.  However, these fruits may not be the sweetest because they are not at their natural peak.  Freeze dried fruits help to bring out the natural flavors of the fruit without the addition of extracts and imitation oils.

Its also a good idea to buy frozen fruits for baking.  More specifically, frozen fruits that are IQF (individually quick frozen) which are picked and frozen at their peak.  Therefore, they tend to be sweeter and much more flavorful.  They work well in recipes that require fruit purees.

So this year, make your Valentine feel super special with these homemade cupcakes.  Maybe she won’t mind that you didn’t attach the diamond earrings to the box.

Sprinkles’ Strawberry Cupcakes, slightly adapted from Candice Nelson on Martha Stewart 
makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp ground freeze dried strawberries

1/2 cup strawberry puree

1/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla paste

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

2 large egg whites, room temperature

Method


1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground freeze dried strawberries.  Set aside.

3.  In another bowl, mix together strawberry puree, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Set aside.

4.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  In a small cup, whisk together whole egg and egg whites.  Slowly add egg mixture into the butter mixture on low-medium speed until combined.

5.  With the mixer on low, alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk mixture.  Start and finish with the flour.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula in between additions to ensure ingredients are thoroughly distributed.

6.  Divide batter evenly among the prepared muffin tin.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.  Let cupcakes cool in muffin tin until cool enough to remove and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.  Cupcakes are ready for icing once they are room temperature.

Strawberry Frosting


Ingredients


1/3 cup strawberry puree

1 Tbsp ground freeze dried strawberries

1 cup unsalted butter, slightly cold

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Method


1.  Soak ground freeze dried strawberries in strawberry puree.  Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and salt until light and fluffy.

3. On low speed, slowly add confectioners’ sugar.  Beat until well combined.  Slowly add puree mixture.  Mix until just combined.  Do not overmix.

4.  Once cupcakes are at room temperature, they are ready for frosting.  Let frosted cupcakes sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour for frosting to harden slightly and set.