White Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes

I am notorious for planning exhausting vacations.  If you want to spend your vacation relaxing on the beach with a good book - it's probably best, not to invite me.😅  If you want to see all the boroughs of New York City in a single afternoon - I'll be your travel agent.🙋🏻‍♀️🗽 My family jokes about the training that they have to do in preparation for an "Amy-cation" just so they can keep up with my ridiculous pace.  🏃🏻‍♀️

My speciality is packing a whole lot of adventure into a short amount of time.  Did I mention that we toured Ireland in a weekend? 🇮🇪😅  For me, the litmus test for a good vacation is the level of exhaustion that I feel when I return home. 😅  As you might have guessed, I'm not the easiest person to travel with - I admit that. 😬  Lucky for me, I've got the best, most energetic and tolerant travel partner to accompany me on these crazy vacations.  (I'm pretty sure that was in our wedding vows. 😂)

My love of packing the maximum into the minimum isn't only a vacation trait for me, though.  It's a characteristic that carries over into my cooking too.   This strawberry cupcake is the perfect example of that.  I managed to squeeze in a serving of fresh strawberries, a handful of frozen strawberries and some heaping spoonfuls of freeze dried strawberries into each cupcake.🍓 This little treat packs a big strawberry punch and it is sooooo good.  

​White Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
1 and 3/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened 
1 cup granulated sugar
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk, at room temperature
10 ounces frozen strawberries

White Chocolate Strawberry Frosting
1 cup freeze-dried strawberries
2 cups butter, softened to room temperature
10 egg whites
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
6 ounces white chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
​1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
fresh strawberries coated with 2 ounces melted white chocolate

Puree 1/2 pound of strawberries.

Simmer 20 minutes over low heat or until reduced to 1/4 cup.  Cool.  

Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

Beat together butter and sugar until creamy.  

Beat in egg whites for 2 minutes.  

Beat in sour cream and vanilla. 

Add dry ingredients until just incorporated. 

Slowly add milk and the strawberry puree. 

Scoop batter into paper lined muffin cups, filling 2/3ds full. 

Bake 22 minutes at 350.  Let cool completely. 

Melt white chocolate in microwave. 

Process freeze dried strawberries into a powder using food processor. 

Heat egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar over a double boiler. 

Beat on high with whisk until thick and marshmallowy.  

Beat in butter with a flat beater.

Beat in white chocolate, vanilla, strawberry powder and salt. ​

Frost cupcakes.

Decorate with white chocolate covered strawberries. 

Summer may be coming to an end but doesn't mean that I'm ready to stop making strawberry cupcakes.  Enjoy!

​Ciao!

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