In my opinion, cupcakes are the perfect treat. Fluffy little, held-in-your-hand cakes with swirly tops of icing. Mmmm. Nothing better. It’s like you get to eat a whole cake, but not really. I think the fact that I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to cupcakes is enough to tell you, I’m serious about these little guys.
In my secret life, I wanted to be a chef. A pastry chef to be exact. Actually, I was enrolled in a culinary school once upon a time, but never actually went. (I blame any and all food failures on this fact!) So, what’s a wanna-be pastry chef do when she has an abundance of blueberries, strawberries, cream cheese, and a box of gluten-free cake mix? She channels her inner Sandra Lee and, with some inspiration from a friend, does her best rendition of Semi-Homemade.
Now, I made the strawberry swirl from scratch. However, if you absolutely needed to, you could thin out some strawberry jelly and it would have the same effect.
Strawberry Swirl Cupcakes with Blueberry Cheesecake Frosting
Strawberry Swirl:
1 cup chopped strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp cornstarch
In a small pan, combine chopped strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, and water. Stir well, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for about 10 minutes, or until strawberries are soft and syrup has thickened. Allow to cool while you mix up the cupcake batter.
Cupcakes:
1 box gluten-free yellow cake mix (or regular if you don’t have to eat gluten free)
Accompanying ingredients for cake mix
Follow directions on the cupcake box, then fill cupcake wrappers 3/4 of the way with batter. Scoop 1 tsp of strawberry swirl into each cupcake, lightly swirling with a butter knife. (Don’t mix all the way through as it will turn pink.)
Bake according to directions on the box.
When done, allow to cool completely before icing.
Blueberry Cheesecake Icing
1 8oz cream cheese, softened
8Tbsp butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon (or more if icing is too thick)
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, pureed (I find that the frozen gives off more color)
In a mixing bowl, add cream cheese and butter, mixing until well combined. Sift in powdered sugar and lemon juice. Continue mixing until icing is a smooth consistency. Stir in blueberries and refrigerate until ready to use.
When cooled, ice the cupcakes and garnish with a blueberry or lemon zest.
Linking up with Thrifty Thursday
Gluten Free with Southern Charm 