All-New Cake Mix Doctor - Anne Byrn [162]
½ cup crushed fresh strawberries (5 to 6 large berries; see Note)
3 large eggs
For the filling
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
Lemony Buttercream Frosting (page 469), or Buttercream Frosting (page 468)
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 28 cupcake cups with paper liners and set the pans aside.
2. Make the cupcake batter: Place the cake mix, strawberry gelatin, and flour in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the milk, oil, strawberries, and 3 eggs and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 1½ to 2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. The batter should look well blended. Set the batter aside.
3. Make the filling: Place the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and 1 egg in a medium-size mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture is creamy, 1 minute.
4. Spoon or scoop a heaping ¼ cup of cupcake batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it two thirds of the way full. (You will get between 26 and 28 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Spoon a generous tablespoon of the cheesecake filling over each cupcake.
5. Place the pans on the center rack of the oven. If both pans do not fit on one oven rack, it’s fine to let a pan sit on the counter while the first batch of cupcakes bake. Bake the cupcakes until the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of the cupcake cups, lift the cupcakes up from the bottom of the pans using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the pans carefully with your fingertips. Place the cupcakes on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes longer before frosting.
Recipe Reminders
MADE FOR
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PREP NOTES
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DON’T FORGET
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SPECIAL TOUCHES
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Turn a White Mix into Chocolate
If you’ve got a white cake mix and want to make chocolate cupcakes, don’t fret. Stir a quarter cup of unsweetened cocoa into the white cake mix before beating it with the other ingredients. You may need to add a little extra liquid, say another tablespoon or two, because cocoa can dry out a batter. And, make sure you pick a sweet and creamy frosting for the top.
6. Meanwhile, make the Lemony Buttercream Frosting.
7. Spoon a tablespoon of frosting on top of each cupcake and spread it out with a short metal spatula or spoon, taking care to cover the top completely. The cupcakes are then ready to serve.
Keep It Fresh! Store these cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to two days or for up to one week in the refrigerator. Freeze the cupcakes, in a cake saver or wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to three months. Let the cupcakes thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Note: You can use frozen strawberries for these cupcakes. Measure a generous ½ cup of unsweetened frozen strawberries, place them in a small microwave-safe glass bowl, and microwave on high power for 1 minute. Remove the bowl and crush the berries with a potato masher or the back of a fork. Drain off some of the liquid before measuring the berries again.
LEMON CUPCAKES WITH A LEMONY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
THERE IS ALWAYS A PLACE for a lemon cake and so it goes