Spring is a time for Strawberry Cupcakes and a Cute Strawberry Top

Delicate vanilla cupcakes are bursting with strawberry pie filling and topped with a big swirl of strawberry cheesecake frosting. Each strawberry cupcake is wrapped in a printable cupcake wrapper to make these strawberry desserts even prettier. Speaking of pretty, check out my cute strawberry top from Catherines.

This post is sponsored by Catherines.

Spring has finally arrived which means strawberry season is here and I am excited to share this recipe to make simple Strawberry Cupcakes.

We had a very long and very cold winter here in Ohio, so my strawberry garden has barely come to life but I am excited that soon I will be able to walk out into my backyard and pick juicy, bright, red berries.

I love the sweet flavor of strawberries and I think they are really pretty too, so I couldn’t resist creating a printable cupcake wrapper to go around my strawberry cupcakes.

The wrapper was inspired by this cute strawberry print Georgette Buttonfront Top from Catherines.

When Catherines asked me to showcase a dessert inspired by their new top, and to share some pictures of me wearing the top, I was nervous. You rarely see pictures of me here on Hungry Happenings. I am confident behind the camera but not so much in front of it.  I’m not as cute as the treats I make, and I have a hard time letting anyone take pictures of me, even on vacation! Can you relate?

But, this year, I promised myself that I would be brave and would open myself up to new possibilities. I vowed to be proud of who I am at age 54 and not to hide myself.

I have to admit that it felt good being dressed in this cute outfit, so I took a few deep breaths and smiled for the camera.

Of course I felt totally comfortable in the top which is made from Georgette fabric. The top is so light and breezy, and perfect for a warm spring day. The button-front top is speckled with strawberries and blue pin stripes and just makes me happy.

I love that the top has 3/4 sleeves with roll-tab cuffs.  That is the perfect length for my long arms. The top looks great on it’s own but it looks super cute with a red Suprema Cami with Lace underneath.

Being it’s finally in the 70’s here, I can get back into capri pants and I’m loving my new Button-Hem Jean Capris with Comfort Waste. They fit me so nicely and are super comfortable. I am sure I will be getting a lot of wear out of those capris this spring and summer and for many years to come.

Catherines even sent me some jewelry to dress up my look. My long hair is covering my Twist Teardop Earings. (Click the link to see a picture of them.) They are definitely my kind of jewelry. I really appreciate simplicity of design and love jewelry with a modern feel.

I was so excited to show off my new outfit that I wore it when I met a friend for dinner. She commented on the cute top and said it matched my mood, cheerful and sunny! How nice was that?

Do you shop at Catherines? What do you think of my outfit? Let me know in the comments below.

After my mom snapped some pictures of me in the outfit from Catherines I snapped pictures of my Strawberry Cupcakes displayed on some plastic grass set in front of a blue sky backdrop.

As a side note, most of the backdrops you see in my pictures have been painted by my mom. She also painted the apples that are hanging on the wall next to me in some of the pictures above. Her creative talent was definitely a big influence on my life.

Now, how about we make some yummy cupcakes?

Strawberry Cupcakes a.k.a. Strawberry Pie Cupcakes

These cupcakes really could be called Strawberry Pie Cupcakes. The cupcakes are actually white cakes filled with strawberry pie filling and topped with a big swirl of Strawberry Cheesecake Frosting.

The strawberries I picked up at the grocery store this week were rather bland tasting and I wanted to make sure my frosting had an intense strawberry flavor so I tweaked a recipe I created for my Strawberry Cheesecake Heart Surprise Cake which uses strawberry pie filling to flavor the frosting.

These strawberry cupcakes taste garden fresh!

How to make Strawberry Cupcakes

Start by doctoring a white cake mix to make it incredibly moist and flavorful then fill them with some strawberry pie filling and top them with a big swirl of strawberry cream cheese frosting.

1. Line 21 cupcake cavities with cupcake papers.
2. Combine one white cake mix with 3 tablespoons of vanilla or white chocolate instant pudding mix, 3 tablespoons of sour cream, and the ingredients called for on the box.
   • I used a Pillsbury White Cake mix and used 4 egg whites, 1 1/4 cups water, and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the ingredients on low speed for 30 seconds then increase the speed to medium and beat for an additional 1 1/2 minutes.
4. Equally divide the cake batter among 21 cupcake wrappers.
5. Bake for 18-24 minutes.
   • You can tell the cupcakes are done when you gently press one finger on top of a cupcake and the cake springs back.
   • You can alternatively insert a toothpick into the center of one cupcake, and if it comes out with just a few moist crumbs, it is done.
6. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
7. Meanwhile, pour one can of strawberry pie filling into a strainer set over a large bowl.
8. Press down on the strawberries, using a rubber spatula or spoon, allowing the red strawberry gel to drip into the bowl.
9. Pour the gel into a pastry bag, if desired, and set the strawberries aside.
10. Use a cupcake corer or knife, to scoop out a small well in the center of each cupcake. Enjoy the cake that is removed from each cupcake as a snack or save it to make cake balls or cake pops.
11. Pipe, or spoon, some of the strawberry gel into the well in each of the cupcakes.
12. In a large mixing bowl beat 3 blocks of cream cheese until light and fluffy.
13. Sift 3 cups of powdered sugar into the bowl of cream cheese then add the reserved strawberries and beat until well combined and the strawberries are broken down into small bits.
14. Add one teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice to brighten up the frosting.
15. Then beat in 8 ounces of frozen and thawed whipped topping (Cool Whip) or fold in 3 cups of freshly whipped whip cream.
16. Spoon some of the frosting into a large 18 inch pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.
17. Pipe a big swirl of frosting onto each cupcake.
18. Refill the pastry bag as needed and frost all 21 cupcakes.

NOTES:

• Frozen whipped topping (Cool Whip or something similar) will hold up better in this frosting and will keep longer, for up to 5 days.
• If using fresh whipped cream, be sure to make the frosting the day you plan to serve these strawberry cupcakes.

How to store these cupcakes:

• I suggest filling and frosting these cupcakes the day you plan to serve them but you can make them ahead, if you prefer.
• You can keep the frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Or, you can store the plain cupcakes in an airtight container set at room temperature for up to 5 days, and keep the gel and strawberry frosting refrigerated for up to 5 days, then decorate the cupcakes the day you plan to serve them.

Printable Cupcake Wrappers

• If you want to dress up your cupcakes be sure to download and print out these cute Strawberry Cupcake Wrappers.
• Just print them out using Landscape mode on your printer and cut out around each wrapper.
  • I suggest using either card stock or photo paper but regular paper will work fine too.
• Then wrap one printable cupcake wrapper around each cupcake and tape the two ends together.
  • Or you can tape the ends, overlapping slightly, together then set the cupcake down into the wrapper.
• Click here for the downloadable cupcake wrapper.

Watch the video to see how you can make these Strawberry Cupcakes and wrap them in the printable cupcake wrappers.

Strawberry Cupcake Video

Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe

Did you make this recipe or do you just think it is super cute? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below.

I love making fun food for parties and special occasions and sharing my creative ideas with you.

If you make this recipe and share it online be sure to link back to this post and use #hungryhappenings.

Thanks, and have a sweet day! – Beth

P.S.  Sign up for my newsletter and get your FREE amazing printable here!

 

You might also like these other fun strawberry recipes…

Fruit Pizza Strawberries

Strawberry Cheesecake Heart Surprise Cake

Strawberry Kiwi Fruit Pizza Watermelon

 

Did you make this recipe or do you just think it is super cute? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below.