Real Strawberry Cupcakes

Name: Real Strawberry Cupcakes
Total time: 75
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 8 large fresh strawberries, or as needed; 2 eggs; 1 cup white sugar; ⅓ cup vegetable oil; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon lemon zest; 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; ¼ teaspoon salt; 3 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix (Optional); 1 drop red food coloring, or as needed (Optional); ¾ cup cream cheese, softened; 2 tablespoons butter, softened; ½ cup confectioners' sugar; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; 3 large fresh strawberries, sliced

Recipe by drewface from allrecipes.com

Dessert 1 Hr. 15 Mins.

Ingredients

12 servings

•

8 large fresh strawberries, or as needed
•

2 eggs
•

1 cup white sugar
•

⅓ cup vegetable oil
•

½ teaspoon vanilla extract
•

½ teaspoon lemon zest
•

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
•

2 teaspoons baking powder

•

¼ teaspoon salt
•

3 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix (Optional)
•

1 drop red food coloring, or as needed (Optional)
•

¾ cup cream cheese, softened
•

2 tablespoons butter, softened
•

½ cup confectioners' sugar
•

½ teaspoon vanilla extract
•

3 large fresh strawberries, sliced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray cupcake cups with cooking spray, or line with cupcake liners.
Place 8 strawberries into a blender, and blend until smooth. Pour the puree through a strainer to remove seeds. Puree should equal about 3/4 cup. Set the puree aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, white sugar, vegetable oil, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, lemon zest, and strawberry puree until well combined. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla pudding mix (for a moister cupcake), and red food coloring to reach a desired shade of pink. Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake cups, filling each about 2/3 full.
Bake in the preheated oven until the cupcakes have risen and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool at least 10 minutes before frosting.
To make frosting, beat cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth, and mix in confectioners' sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to make a lump-free icing. Frost each cupcake with about 2 tablespoons of icing, and top each cupcake with a strawberry slice.