Strawberry Cupcakes filled with Strawberry Buttercream iced cupcakes

Miss Erica and I have been taking a cake decorating class.  The first week I was talked about for making my cookies instead of buying them. (recipe here)  So the second week the cakes were from scratch just to show them. (recipe here)  By the third week I really had to get creative, which brings us to...

Cake Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter also known as sweet cream butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 large egg white , room temperature
1 cup milk, I use 2%
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups finely chopped strawberries, plus small strawberries for garnish

Directions:

1.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.  The add vanilla and mix thoroughly.


2.   Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

3.   Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.
4.  Fill with Strawberry buttercream using a Wilton #230 or Bismark tip. (recipe below)

5. Frost with Decorator Icing (recipe here)


Strawberry Buttercream Ingredients:

4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into tablespoons
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups strawberry jam, pureed in a food processor

Directions: 
1.  In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine egg whites and sugar. Cook, whisking constantly, until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch (about 160 degrees).

2.   Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg-white mixture on high speed until it holds stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until the mixture is fluffy and cooled, about 6 minutes.

3.   Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low speed, add butter several tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. (If frosting appears to separate after all the butter has been added, beat on medium-high speed until smooth again, 3 to 5 minutes more.) Beat in vanilla. Beat on lowest speed to eliminate any air bubbles, about 2 minutes. Stir in strawberry jam with a rubber spatula until frosting is smooth.

Adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe.  Thanks Martha!