The Search for the Perfect Strawberry.

In my opinion, one of the most defining summer foods is the simple strawberry. It can be enjoyed in so many different ways; sprinkled with sugar, placed in a tart, or in this case, pureed and put into cupcakes. That is why I was extremely pleased when I found out that Martha Stewart's Cupcake Club's June assignment was strawberry cupcakes.

A few weeks ago, my friend Laura (who also writes the lovely blog Life. Laura Style.) turned me on to a recipe for strawberry cupcakes with lemon frosting. Let me tell you, they were quite tasty. So it was almost perfect timing that when the time came for me to decide which cupcakes to make for the MSCC, Laura's strawberry cupcakes were already in my mind.

So a couple of days ago, I decided it was time to make the cupcakes. On Tuesday, my mom and I went to the grocery store only to find about 5 cartons of strawberries. To top it off, all of them were rotten. Needless to say, we decided to wait to get the berries somewhere else. Then my mom told me that it would be fun to go to the farmer's market and find some on Wednesday morning. So the next day we both woke up at nine, brushed our teeth, and made the trip to the fairgrounds. It was then that we discovered that the market didn't open until 3pm on Wednesdays. After waiting 6 hours, we went back at three and guess what? No strawberries! Such bad luck.

After two more stores of finding flavorless, petite strawberries, I picked up some adequate ones at a local store and decided that they would have to do. I came right home and began to make the cupcakes. Were they worth it? You betcha, they were delicious. They were so moist and decadent. And the lemon buttercream? Probably one of the best frostings I have ever tried. So go ahead and make these. They are a perfect summer treat.

Strawberry Cupcakes (recipe adapted from Paula Deen)
-1 box white cake mix
-1 (3 oz) box strawberry gelatin
-15 oz fresh strawberries sprinkled with sugar; pureed
-4 large eggs
-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-count cupcake pans.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

Pour into cupcake pans, and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans to completely cool on wire racks.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting (adapted from Sprinkles Cupcakes)
-1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
-2 cups powdered sugar
-1 lemon, juice and zest
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine butter, sugar, and salt and beat till well combined.

Add lemon juice, zest, and vanilla and continue to beat for another 3-5 minutes or until creamy.

Until next time,