holy Cupcakes!!!

Would you know it... I've never made cupcakes from scratch.

and I've never filled a cupcake,

or made my own frosting for them.

My mission today was to do all three! 

I spent a couple hours in the kitchen (I'm sure for all you advanced bakers- it woulda been easier)

I used a recipe from Java Cupcake's Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes!!  ( I didn't use their frosting recipe though, I used a combination of a few, then winged it the rest of the way!!)

first step is to cook strawberries down to a reduction.  It's like instant potpourri!!!



Then you mix half of this in with the batter. 

(Next time I make it, I think I'm going to add chunks of lemon so the flavor is a little stronger!) 

Beware!!  This recipe makes 24 regular size cupcakes, and about 30 mini cupcakes!!

They came out of the oven great!!!!

And then I attempted to fill them. A little sloppy...

but I made it work!!

Here's the final product!  Looks adorable! 

The frosting was a little bit more liquidy than I'd like, since I added a strawberry puree, so next time I might do a layer of this verison of frosting and a small dollop of cream cheese frosting!

They were DELICIOUS!!  The best thing about these delights is that they are light and fluffy, perfect for a hot summery day!!

yuuuuum

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.