(Surprise) Strawberry Cupcakes

I have a weird aversion to surprise parties. Just something about secrets and jumping out and yelling with a room full of people is unsettling and awkward to me. My favorite tactic for such occasions is to get someone to text me once the surprising has occurred, and then come join the party after. I have made a couple exceptions though, and this past Thursday was one of them. My friend Andrea suggested we throw a surprise party for our two friends Clint and Mikey, since Clint was grumpy and refusing to do anything for his 27th, and Mikey had been too busy with exams to go out for his. It was held at Clint's favorite bar, Toby's, on College St. Everyone came out and it was a lot of fun, despite the hiccup of having to change the time the night before, and the whole surprise aspect. I was in-charge of inviting Clint's baseball friends, and making the cupcakes :)

 I decided to make Martha Stewart's strawberry cupcakes because I had 2 cartons of strawberries sitting in my fridge, and the idea of baking with fruit is really appealing to me lately. Instead of the icing that goes with the recipe, I opted for a strawberry cream cheese icing from The Joy of Baking, since I also had cream cheese on hand. Both turned out very nicely, although a bit girly. Good thing I had found some baseball themed baking cups at Bulk Barn :)

Strawberry Cupcakes (from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg white, at room temperature
1 cup milk, at room temperature
2 cups finely chopped fresh strawberries 

To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (I used a hand mixer), cream the butter, sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the eggs and the egg white, one at a time, beating well after each addition and stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions alternately with the milk, mixing only until incorporated. Gently fold in the chopped strawberries with a rubber spatula.

Fill each well of the cupcake pans about 3/4-full with the batter.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove the cupcake pans to a wire rack to cool for 5-10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pans to the rack to cool completely.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (from Joy of Baking)

8 ounces cream cheese, cold
5 tablespoons softened butter
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
(scant) two cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh strawberry purée
To prepare the frosting:  Using a hand mixer, beat the top three ingredients together until well combined.  Gradually add the powdered sugar as you continue beating the mixture.  Lastly, stir in the strawberry purée.

Wait till cupcakes have cooled completely to frost cupcakes. I used a Wilton piping bag and tip.