New recipe for you guys… these would be fun to bake for Valentine’s Day this week!

Mini Strawberries & Cream Cupcakes

Recipe adapted from Baking Bites

Ingredients

For the cupcakes…

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup strawberry purée, from about 1 cup of whole strawberries!  (about 1 cup whole, fresh berries)
• Extra strawberries, diced, for topping

For the vanilla buttercream frosting…

Mixed all together:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2-1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 24 cup mini muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, applesauce, and salt — I used my new immersion blender for this!
4. Add in the egg and strawberry purée.  Pulse until the batter comes together.
5. Divide batter into prepared muffin cups.
6. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.  Top with diced strawberry pieces.

I loved the strawberry flavor baked directly into the cupcakes instead of just as a topper.  They were so tasty and tasted just like strawberries and cream.  The only thing I didn’t like about how this recipe came out is that they were sticking a bit to the cupcake wrappers.  I think maybe it had something to do with substituting the butter for unsweetened applesauce?  I’m not sure.

I made these to bring to Slesh & Will’s New Year’s Eve party, which seems so long ago already!  They were a hit, even if people had to lick the bottom of the cupcake right from the wrapper.

Are you making or baking anything yummy for Valentine’s Day this week? 

Not gonna lie, I spent about an hour browsing through  Valentine’s Day dessert recipes on Sunday afternoon.  Pinterest and Martha Stewart got the best of me!