Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

growing up i would bake a lot, mostly fudge and cookies. but when it came to cakes i always opted for the box mix and the icing in a plastic tub. a. plastic. tub. granted i was about 8 years old so you can't blame me really. there was one in particular that really grosses me out now that i am older. that would be the neon yellow lemon cake with neon greenish lemon icing i would deliver to my grandfather's house every sunday afternoon (after his pancake breakfast - yes i am a pancake queen). ick. i can smell the fake sour lemon chemicals now. but he loved it so i kept dishing it out. oh the shame.

so when i first met josh i tried to tame down my crazy food fanatics in a feeble attempt to appear normal. somehow we got on the subject of cake and i think i blurted out something about loving strawberry cake - which i do. what woman doesn't remember screaming for "pink" cake for their birthday? it could have been any flavor as long as it was pink and frilly. like my grandfather and his electric lemon cake; i would gobble down my hot pink box mix strawberry cake and plastic tub icing every time. so like a the good mother she is, my mom would always provide.

back to josh. in an effort to make it appear as if he did a bit of baking himself josh took my fly-by nostalgic love for strawberry cake to heart and got down to the corner bodega to get a box of duncan hines strawberry cake and that adoring tub of greasy icing. very cute, i admit. but um, gross. i was excited just to relive all those southern spring birthdays and unfortunately, i have to admit i ate more that one piece.

that was the absolute only thing josh has ever baked for me - or possibly ever baked. remarkably i think about that little event more often than any normal person would. and i finally dawned on me the other day that i absolutely had to make a real homemade strawberry cake and real american buttercream icing. so i searched and searched and evidently this is a bit of a southern treat and like most southern treats it cleverly utilizes some kind of prepackaged mix. i fought it for a while then decided that i would have to make a small nod to my southern roots and allow a half pack of jello. the rest is all fresh baby! and really these are perfect. we were both really excited when these came out of the oven, you just can't help but smile when you take a bite.

STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES

1c sugar

1.5 oz strawberry jello mix

4oz butter

2 eggs

1 1/4c flour

3 tbs cornstarch

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2c milk, room temp

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4c fresh strawberry puree

*preheat oven to 350 F, line your cupcake pan

* sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda

* cream the butter, add the sugar and jello mix. cream to light and fluffy

* beat in eggs one at a time

* add in 1/3 of the flour mix, beat to combine

* add in 1/2 of the milk, beat to combine - repeat until all the flour and milk is gone ending on the flour

* stir in the strawberry puree and vanilla

* spoon into your pan, cook 20 minutes

Classic American Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

4oz butter

3 1/2 - 4c powdered sugar

1/4c milk

1 tsp vanilla

* cream the butter to light and fluffy

* sift in half of the powdered sugar. add in milk as needed to allow mixture to come together

* continue adding sugar and milk until desired consistence

* beat in the vanilla