Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

Over the summer I was out of the office on medical leave for about 13 weeks and I’m pretty sure that I spent most of my days watching cooking shows and gaining 10lbs with each show. I wanted so badly to be able to be on my feet in the kitchen and baking up a million different delicious treats. By the time I went back to work at the end of July I had a dozen or so recipes to try on my coworkers. I’ve spent the last several weeks trying different ones out and I’ve discovered I really love making cupcakes.

Yesterday on Mama’s Kitchen’s Facebook fan page I asked the fans what sort of cupcake they would enjoy. Among the entries, my cousin Rachael requested a strawberry cupcake with a cheesecake filling and I immediately set to work building it out in my head. I’ve seen various concoctions of strawberry with a cream cheese frosting but I wanted to go beyond that.

Inspiration for this recipe came from Annie’s pumpkin cream cheese muffins. I really liked the way she did the cream cheese center, and I was hopeful that this concept could carry over. What I came up with was a strawberry cupcake base, with a cheesecake disc in the center, topped with a strawberry cream cheese frosting. There is just the right balance of sweetness – because there is nothing worse than your teeth aching when you bite into something sweet.

Thanks Rach for the suggestion – I have truly enjoyed creating this one!

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

Yield: 30 cupcakes

For the Filling:

12oz cream cheese

½ cup granulated sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

½ cup graham cracker crumbs

For the Cake:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup sour cream

2/3 cup milk

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup fresh strawberry puree (about 10 strawberries)

For the Frosting:

8oz cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

5 strawberries, pureed

Directions:

For the filling, cream everything except the graham cracker crumbs in your stand mixer until smooth, approximately five minutes. Lay a piece of saran about 24” in length wrap long ways on the work surface and spray lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle you graham cracker crumbs evenly over the saran wrap and drop your cream cheese mixture in the beginning shape of a log over them. Using the saran wrap to help, gently roll your cream cheese mixture into a log about one inch in diameter and about 18” in length. Wrap in foil and freeze until firm, about two hours.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line three cupcake pans with liners and set to the side. (Alternately, if you’re like me and only have two pans, you can bake in two sessions.)

For the cake, cream together your butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in your eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each one, and then add in your vanilla. Slowly add your dry ingredients, alternating with your wet ingredients and always ending with flour. This will ensure you have a smooth batter. Stir in your strawberry puree.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill your cupcake bays half full. Remove your cheesecake log from the freezer and slice into 30 equal pieces, and place a piece of the cheesecake directly on top of your cupcake batter. Top cheesecake with enough batter to make bays ¾ full.

Bake in your preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, rotating pans half way through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, and cool for five minutes in the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, cream together your cream cheese and butter until smooth. Stir in your strawberry puree until incorporated. Slowly add in your powdered sugar until combined, and then whip for five minutes until light and fluffy. Frost to your liking, and sprinkle with extra graham cracker crumbs.

Enjoy! KC

Peach Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Frosting

Summer means peaches in Texas, and lots of them. For as long as I can remember my grandparents, Mom & PawPaw, have had a small orchard at their house where they grow peaches and apples every year. My grandmother makes some of the best pies and cobblers I've ever tasted! When I was younger and got to spend a lot of time there during the summer I always looked forward to picking the peaches before the birds got to them.

Last week I saw a post from Annie's Eats for a peach crumb bar and I just had to make it. It went over great at the office but I had a ton of peaches left over so I decided to make a peaches and cream cupcake. It by far exceeded my expectations and was the perfect balance of sweet and spice. These are very rich so I'd advise inviting friends over to help you finish them off!

Peach Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Frosting:
Yield: 2 dozen

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
2 cups chopped, fresh peaches  (I puree about half and mix it all together)

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, with the racks in the center position. Put liners in two cupcake pans.

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and set to the side. In a stand mixer, cream your butter and sugars for about three minutes on medium-high speed. Turn the speed to low and add in your eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated, and then add in your vanilla extract. Mix in half of the dry ingredients on low speed until moist, and then mix in your milk. Slowly mix in the remainder of your dry ingredients until combined. Stir in the peach mixture.

Divide the batter evenly among the 24 cupcake liners. (I used a medium ice cream scoop and it distributes the perfect amount) Bake in the preheated oven for 23-25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the pans for five minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

Spiced Cream Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. almond extract

Cream butter and cream cheese, add in almond extract and slowly mix in powdered sugar. When completely combined, stir in cinnamon and brown sugar just until mixed (the brown sugar will add a slight crunch).

Banana Nut Cupcakes

Banana nut bread is probably my favorite sweet treat of all time. I very fondly remember my Nini baking it in those old tin coffee cans so that when it came out of the oven it had perfect slicing rings. For years I've been trying to perfect a recipe and today I think it finally happened. These cupcakes are much lighter than a traditional bread and the flavor just can't be beat. My husband would have been content to just eat the batter.

Now because these are on the sweet side I didn't want to use a traditional buttercream frosting. I took about a cup and a half of buttercream I'd made earlier in the day and added an 8 oz. block of cream cheese. It gave the perfect balance to the cupcake.

Banana Nut Cupcakes
Yield: 2 dozen

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
2 cups mashed, ripe bananas (about 5 medium)
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, with the racks in the center position. Put liners in two cupcake pans and evenly distribute the pecans among the slots (about 1 Tbsp in each).

In a large bowl mix together your flours, baking powder and salt and set to the side. In a stand mixer, cream your butter and sugar for about three minutes on medium-high speed. Turn the speed to low and add in your eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated, and then add in your vanilla and almond extracts. Mix in half of the dry ingredients on low speed until moist, and then mix in your milk. Slowly mix in the remainder of your dry ingredients until combined. Stir in the mashed bananas.

Divide the batter evenly among the 24 cupcake liners. (I used a medium ice cream scoop and it distributes the perfect amount) *Important! Do not overfill the liners - these cupcakes are very fluffy and will go over the edge. Bake in the preheated oven for 23-25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the pans for five minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

You may have extra batter (I did). If you have small loaf pans on hand they are great for this; you just need to add about five minutes to the bake time.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 1/2 cups buttercream frosting (recipe below)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened

Whip in a stand mixer until combined.

Basic Buttercream Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer, then add vanilla. Slowly add in sifted powdered sugar until all combined, scraping down the sides occasionally. You can add tint at this point and combine well.

Angel Food Cupcakes

These are great cupcakes if you're looking for a light, sweet dessert. I've made these a few times now and everyone loves them. Usually I top mine with Cool Whip and various berries. Enjoy!

Yield: 2 dozen

Ingredients:
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/4 tsp. salt
12 large egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Directions:
Adjust oven racks to the two lowest positions. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small mixing bowl, sift together the flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the vanilla and cream of tartar on medium-high speed until soft-medium peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the dry ingredients using a rubber spatula, being careful not to deflate the batter.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners and bake for 12-15 minutes or until light golden. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with whipped cream and fresh fruit, if desired.

From: Annie's Eats