Blushing Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe 455

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
• In a medium bowl, cream together the granulated sugar, gelatin, butter and cream cheese. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and rum. Combine the flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the milk and strawberries until the batter is smooth. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The cupcakes are done when they spring back to the touch. Let cool.
• For the strawberry frosting: In a medium bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar, rum and strawberry extract.
• For the strawberry filling: Cut the strawberries into small pieces and place into a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and bring to a light boil. Once the filling begins to boil, turn off the heat, add the rum and let sit for 10 minutes to cool.
• To assemble: Core out the center of the cupcakes and fill with strawberry filling. Then cover the tops of the cupcakes with the strawberry frosting.

Steps:

• CUPCAKES: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 (24-count) mini muffin tins with paper liners. Reserve about 12 small strawberries for garnish, slicing each into 4 slices. In a blender, combine the remaining strawberries with 1/4 cup water and puree until smooth. Puree should equal about 1 3/4 cups, if not add more water. Set aside 1/4 cup of the puree for frosting. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, and 1 1/2 cups of pureed strawberries for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure all the batter is well incorporated. Using a mini ice-cream scoop, fill the muffin tins about 3/4 of the way to the top. Bake until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the tins from the oven and cool slightly before removing the cupcakes. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting. FROSTING: Rest a heat-safe mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water. In the bowl, combine all of the frosting ingredients except the vanilla and food coloring. Beat with hand mixer on medium speed, while mixture cooks, until peaks are formed when the beaters are lifted out of the bowl, about 7 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and add vanilla and red food coloring to the desired pink shade. Frost the cooled cupcakes with the colored frosting and garnish each with a strawberry slice.