Ponchatoula Strawberry Cupcakes

I arrived in Houston with pints of Ponchatoula strawberries from the New Orleans farmers market. Of course, when I looked in the refrigerator, I saw that there were already several pints of strawberries inside. Now, strawberries certainly don't have an infinite shelf life, especially not the fragile berries from the market, so I knew that strawberries were in my future. So, I drank strawberry margaritas and we ate strawberry spinach salad with dinner, and then one day I was flipping through my cookbook of the moment, Screen Doors and Sweet Tea, and there was a recipe, not just for strawberry cupcakes, but for Ponchatoula strawberries, I knew that the fate of those berries was sealed.

Ponchatoula Strawberry Cupcakes: Really Pink
Screen Doors & Sweet Tea
24 cupcakes

Cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed fresh or frozen strawberries
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Frosting:
1/2 cup chopped fresh or frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons of strawberry jam
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 cups of confectioners' sugar, sifted

MAKE THE CUPCAKES. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or line with baking cups.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In another medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, and extracts; set aside.
In an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add the buttermilk mixture. Beat for 1 minute at medium speed. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Stir in the strawberries and orange zest. Spoon into the prepared muffin tins, filling them two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when touched lightly in the center. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then unmold the cupcakes and cool on racks.
MAKE THE FROSTING. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the strawberries, jam, and lemon juice. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, or until the jam is melted and the strawberries are soft. Press any big pieces with the back of the spoon to mash.
In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and butter at medium speed until creamy. At low speed, slowly add the confectioner's sugar and mix until combined. Add the strawberries and mix at low speed until blended.
When the cupcakes are completely cool, spread (or pipe) the frosting.

The recipe is easy to follow and straightforward, but here are my observations. I didn't have any liners for the cupcakes because my parents are in the process of moving and my mother is chucking things left and right, but I highly recommend that you use liners and I will next time. The cupcakes were pretty flat and I think that liners would help give them structure. This brings me to my next observation, err on the lower side of 2/3 full. I knew I was in trouble when I only filled up about 18 cupcake tins but I just chalked it up to an overzealous recipe. I thought that it was about 3/4 full at most. Well, because these cupcakes don't dome up, if they rise over the top of the tin then they spread into each other, like mine did. It wasn't a problem but I was really nervous every time I peeked in the oven.

The cupcakes are really, really light and fluffy and they taste absolutely wonderful. Not to mention, the pink factor is just adorable and I think that these are a lovely spring and summer dessert. I'm not positive, but I think that they'd translate well with raspberries and I might give that a shot at some point. The frosting is delicious, I could eat it plain!