Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes

I recently made some de-licious strawberry curd. I spread it on almost everything: bananas, toast, cookies, even strawberries for some flavor to the max. Then, out of the blue, I had an idea...

More on that idea in a bit. First, can we please pause to praise this completely unnecessary but necessarily awesome aqua ceramic farmer's market fruit carton pictured above from Anthropologie **moment of oo-ing and ahhh-ing** 

Ok, moving on.

I had this idea to make Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes. Strawberries, cake, cream, curd, and last but not least rum all in one bite. You can thank me after you make this.

          

Here we go: A vanilla cupcake, soaked in rum, filled with strawberry buttercream, and topped off with strawberry curd and strawberries. Even presentation-wise, these are fun, and would be great for any adult gathering. The strawberry curd pops even more with bright cupcake liners and little paper umbrellas!

I will warn you: this is a project. There are many recipes and steps but I'm going to say that you could have these made and assembled in 3 hours. Don't kill the messenger! Especially the one who gives you the idea that such a dessert could exist...

How to Make Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes
Make Vanilla Cupcakes (recipe below).
Poke holes in the tops of the cupcakes with a fork.
Cut out center of cupcakes with a knife and fill with Strawberry Buttercream (recipe below).
Mix 1/2 cup simple syrup (recipe below) with 2 tablespoons of rum. Brush mixture over the cupcakes.
Spread Strawberry Curd (recipe below) on the cupcake tops. Garnish with a strawberry.
Enjoy.

RECIPES:

Vanilla Cupcakes
adapted from My Baking Addiction

yields 2 dozen cupcakes or 6 dozen mini cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
4 large egg whites
8 tablespoon (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and egg whites.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until the butter and sugar are very light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract and one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until well incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the batter is smooth. Then add the last of the dry ingredients, beating until, yes, that's right, the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Using a large scoop/spoon, distribute the batter between the muffin trays, filling each muffin liner until 1/2 to 2/3 full.

Bake for 20-24 minutes for cupcakes, and 16-18 minutes for mini cupcakes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. While cupcakes are cooling, make Strawberry Buttercream...

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Strawberry Buttercream
adapted from Confessions of a Tart

yields about 1 1/2 cups frosting

Ingredients:
1 sticks (8 tbsp) of butter, room temperature
1/2 cup strawberries, pureed (I measured out the strawberries first and then pureed them)
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Cream the butter in the mixer on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes. On slow speed, gradually add about 2 cups of powdered sugar and turn back up to high for a few minutes to really incorporate the sugar. Turn to slow speed again and fold in the strawberries. Add more sugar until desired consistency is achieved. Once all the sugar is incorporated, turn to medium-high for a few minutes to mix well.

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Simply Syrup

yields 1/2 cup simple syrup

Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
Heat sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar has dissolved.
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Strawberry Curd

yields about 1 1/2 cups curd

Ingredients:
2 cups sliced strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons or 1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces

Directions:
In a food processor or blender pulse strawberries until smooth. Strain through a fine strainer to remove seeds.

In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add strawberry puree, lemon juice, and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes, or until very thick, whisking constantly.

Remove from heat. Gradually add butter, whisking until melted. Let cool. Place in a jar and store in refrigerator.

Double Rainbow Cakes

Double Rainbow! WHAT DOES IT MEAN!? My friend Dave had his last day at work today. His enthusiasm, happy demeanor, candor, and larger(and louder)-than-life laugh will no longer roam the halls of LPL. He's off to new beginnings: new job, new home, and, most importantly, new daughter (the adorable Miss Hannah). So, this cake just means: all the best and we'll miss you!

Strawberry Curd

Waste not, want not. I had some egg yolks and strawberries leftover from making those delicious Strawberry Lemonade Bars, so I decided to whip up some homemade strawberry curd.

        

 

This recipe is simple to make, and easily adaptable. So far every fruit that I've encountered would make a great flavor for curd. I've got some big plans for this creamy, pink deliciousness... so stay tuned!

Strawberry Curd

yields about 1 1/2 cups curd

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons or 1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces

Directions:
In a food processor or blender pulse strawberries until smooth. Strain through a fine strainer to remove seeds.

In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add strawberry puree, lemon juice, and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes, or until very thick, whisking constantly.

Remove from heat. Gradually add butter, whisking until melted. Let cool. Place in a jar and store in refrigerator.

Enjoy.

Goat Cheese Tart with Basil, Mushrooms, and Shallots

Why does cheese have to taste so good? I would be a generous ten pounds skinnier if I gave up eating cheese, but, well, that's just not going to happen, so I made this tart full of goat cheese. Bon Appétit!

Basil and sauteed mushrooms & shallots are strewn through a creamy goat cheese filling inside of a classic Pâte Brisée crust. It's like a quiche, but with goat cheese instead of just eggs, and therefore more delicious. Cheeeeeeeeeeese...

This recipe works great for lunch or dinner, and can even be made into mini tarts as appetizers. I chose to flavor my tart with basil, mushrooms, and shallots, but feel free to play around with other herbs and veggies. I also imagine smearing a layer of jam or chutney on the tart crust before adding the filling could yield some interesting sweet/savory creations. Cherries and goat cheese is another great combo.

I can only vouch for this specific tart, which happens to be fantastic.

Goat Cheese Tart with Basil, Mushrooms, and Shallots

yields 1 8 in x 8 in tart, or 1 8 in round tart + a little extra (I made some mini tarts!)

Ingredients:
Tart:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
pinch of nutmeg (optional)
1/4 cup ice water

Goat Cheese Filling:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 shallots
1/2 pound mushrooms
8 ounces goat cheese
3/4 cup milk (I used soy milk. You can use half-and-half or cream, too, for an even richer filling)
2 eggs
1/2 cup packed basil leaves
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

For the tart: Cut chilled butter into pieces. Place butter, flour, salt, sugar, and nutmeg (optional) in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal (about 10 seconds). Leave food processor on and add ice water in a steady stream until the mixture resembles dough. Remove dough from food processor, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour (Dough can be frozen and used at a later time as well). While the tart dough is chilling, make the filling.

For the filling: Heat butter and olive oil in a saute pan over medium low heat. Chop shallots and mushrooms and saute for about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat. In a food processor, pulse the goat cheese, milk, eggs, basil, and pepper until smooth. Transfer filling to a bowl and stir in the shallots and mushrooms.

Preheat oven to 350 F. On a floured surface, roll out tart dough. Transfer to tart pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and add filling. Return to over and bake for 30-40 minutes (or until the filling is set). Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

Enjoy.

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

These little pink beauties are all that their name promises. Some how the proportions of this recipe are just so that the bars don't just taste like strawberry-flavored lemon bars, they taste like strawberry lemonade bars. Mmmmmmm...

The strawberry lemon filling will appear almost soupy when prepared but firms up quite nicely once baked. The original recipe actually called for raspberries, but I had a big supply of strawberries at the time (thanks Trader Joe!). I think blueberries and blackberries are a good compliment to lemon as well, and would make beautiful purple and fuschia colored bars...

        

I ended up splitting the recipe into two 8x8 pans. I took one into work, but am tempted to leave the second one at home... dangerous...

This recipe can be made at any time of the year if you use frozen berries instead of fresh-picked, but the flavors scream summer. Labor Day has come and gone, but it'll feel like summer here in Tucson until October... which means... I'll have to make these a few more times until then. Darn.

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

adapted from Annie's Eats

yields about 24-32 bars

Ingredients:

For the crust:

2¼ sticks (18 tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. salt

For the strawberry lemon layer:

3 cups sugar

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tbsp. lemon zest

¼ tsp. salt

3 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen, thawed

6 large egg whites

2 large eggs

1 1/3 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

*This recipe can be halved and baked in an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with a reduced baking time of 25-30 minutes for the strawberry lemon layer. 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the flour and salt just until incorporated.  Add the dough to the prepared baking pan.  Press into an even layer over the bottom of the pan.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until light golden brown.  Remove from the oven, maintaining the temperature.

While the crust is baking, make the top layer.  Combine the sugar, flour, lemon zest and salt in a large bowl and whisk to blend.  Puree strawberries and press through a fine mesh sieve, mashing with a spatula, to extract as much juice and pulp as possible, straining out the seeds.  Add the egg whites and eggs to the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk well to blend.  Whisk in the strawberry puree and lemon juice until smooth.

Pour the mixture over the crust and bake until the center is just set and not longer jiggles when gently shaken, about 35-40 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.  Cover and chill well in the refrigerator, at least 2 hours.  When ready to serve, use the parchment paper to lift the bars from the pan.  Place on a cutting board and slice into bars.  Dust the tops with confectioners’ sugar if desired.

Enjoy.

Rainbow Cupcakes

Bright and bold Rainbow Cupcakes are as easy as 1, 2, 3... 4, 5, 6! Watch and learn...

1. Make a vanilla cake mix, and preheat oven accordingly. I KNOW, I KNOW! I am usually religiously against cake mixes but you want a runny (not fluffy) batter. Plus these cupcakes look labor intensive, even though they aren't at all, so your friends will already be impressed. Stop over achieving. 

2. Divide batter equally into bowls and add food dye/gel for each color. I used six colors.

3. Place liners in cupcake tray and spoon 1 teaspoon of each color in the center of the cup. The cake cups should be about 1/2 - 2/3 full. 

4. Bake according to mix (I'm cringing, too. It's okay.) instructions.

5. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

6. Enjoy, and show off your colors!