Strawberry Lemonade Minicakes

Okay... I admit it's been awhile since I made minicakes.  Since I've been back, I've been so busy and tired that I couldn't bring myself to do much of anything.  Thankfully, a friend of mine requested a recipe and got my lazy butt back into the kitchen!
Well actually, I had 2 friends requesting lemonade cupcakes.  My girl Maquel wanted pink lemonade cakes for a baby shower and my girl Lauren mentioned strawberry lemonade.  I really liked the idea of mixing strawberries with lemonade in a cupcake and I figured if I made the frosting pink, then it would be killing two birds with one stone, all while making a delicious spring treat! I also wanted to use fresh strawberries in my recipe which came to in the whipped cream cheese frosting.  Yes, I said whipped cream cheese frosting.  What's more it's strawberry whipped cream frosting.  Drooling yet?


Cupcakes
Ingredients:

1 1/3 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. oil
1 tbs grated lemon rind
1 c. thawed lemonade concentrate
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 egg whites
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c. milk

Blend sugar, oil, lemon rind, lemon concentrate and vanilla extract in large bowl on medium speed until smooth.

Add eggs and egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. (The photo to the right, shows how I separate egg whites from the egg.)

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Stir well with a whisk.

Add flour mixture and milk gradually, alternating between the two and beating well between each addition. Batter should be slightly runny.

Scoop batter into baking cups and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (or 10-12 for minicakes.)  Allow to cool completely before frosting.  (I just need to take the time to say, look at the cute little baking cups I have!  They are red with polka dots.  I'm kind of in love.)






Frosting
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. heavy cream
8 oz. cream cheese
1 lb. strawberries
2 tsp. imitation strawberry extract
1-2 c. powdered sugar
(Okay the goal was to use only fresh ingredients, but the strawberry flavor wasn't coming out like I wanted it to so I used the strawberry flavoring and the powdered sugar to bring out the sweetness of them. I also added a few drops of red food coloring to brighten up the pink.)

Whip the cream on high (use the whisk attachment if you have a stand mixer) until stiff peaks form (so to speak,)

Chop and then puree the strawberries until you have about 2 cups of strawberry puree.  (I'm glad we finally got a food processor!)

Whip the cream cheese and strawberry puree together on high. Add in strawberry extract.  (It kind of looks like pink cottage cheese.)

Add the whipped cream and beat on high until combined well. Gradually add in powdered sugar to thicken and sweeten as desired. Frost cupcakes. Top with sliced strawberries, if you want.





My husband said with the strawberries on top, it is kind of difficult to taste the lemon in the cakes.  I disagree with him though.  I think it adds a nice fresh flavor along with an aesthetically pleasing look. In other words, I think they look and taste awesome.  We shall see what the masses at work think.  Either way, I hope these things give a hint to the crappy weather we've been having lately that I'm ready for it to be spring already!