There is beauty in the rain.

Or in fallen cupcakes. Gravity laughed as my Strawberry Shortcake Cupcake toppled over. Ok only one fell over and I still got my pictures of the finished product, but I thought it was beautiful the way it fell. Kinda like all the layers slid apart so you could see the individual components. Sometimes you just need to take a step back and appreciate that everything doesn’t go as planned. And sometimes, the outcome is better than what you could imagine.

The only adjusting I did was moved it from where it fell to the little plate for pictures, but I was careful not to mess up the placement. But seriously, after I added the strawberry on top, it toppled over just like that.

Of course with fresh strawberries, you just have to make a shortcake. Biscuits or sponge cake? Personally, I’m a cake girl (shocker). I thought about those little round sponge cakes you always see in the produce aisle. And of course I couldn’t go through strawberry season without making a cupcake.

These are sponge cakes layered with strawberry curd and whipped cream. Feel free to use strawberry jam instead. If you have neither, it’s easy to make your own (strawberry curd recipe and strawberry jam recipe), or just load the layers with sliced strawberries.

Since you’ll be removing the cupcake wrappers, either use cheap white ones or a silicone pan. If you use a silicone pan, let it cool completely in the pan before removing because I broke a few for being too warm.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Name: Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 3/4 cup all-purpose flour; 3/4 teaspoon baking powder; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1/4 cup (2 ounces or 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly; 1 egg, room temperature; 1/4 teaspoon vanilla; 1/4 cup milk, room temperature; 1/3 cup strawberry curd ( homemade or store bought) or strawberry jam ( homemade or store bought); 1/3 cup cold heavy whipping cream; 2 tablespoons powdered sugar; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup (2 ounces or 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 egg, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk, room temperature
1/3 cup strawberry curd (homemade or store bought) or strawberry jam (homemade or store bought)

Whipped Cream

1/3 cup cold heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cupcake pan with 6 paper liners. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, butter, egg and vanilla until smooth. Alternately whisk in the flour mixture and milk, making three additions of flour and two additions of milk. Beat until smooth.
Scoop batter into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
For the whipped cream: In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream until thickened. Gradually add in the sugar and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form (when you pull the beaters straight up, peaks will form without falling over).
Cut each cupcake in half horizontally. For each cupcake, spoon and spread some of the curd/jam onto one half. Spoon and spread some of the whipped cream. Top with the remaining cupcake half. Spoon and spread some more curd/jam on the top half then top with some more whipped cream. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Garnish with a strawberry. Chill until ready to serve.

Source: Adapted from 125 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson

link

Small Batch Red Velvet Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are moist and delicious homemade cupcakes from scratch without a cake mix. Recipe makes 6 cupcakes. I’m backkkkk! Did you miss ...

This small 6 Inch Gingerbread Cake recipe made from scratch without cake mix is a moist and fluffy cake that tastes like Christmas in every bite. Despite being under a stay at home advisory in ...

Dessert for two ideas for easy Mini Cheesecake Recipes made in a muffin pan. Small batch recipes make 6 mini cheesecakes. Once upon a time I used to be known as the Cheesecake Queen among my ...

Small Batch Mini Cheesecakes with a graham cracker crust are easy individual cheesecakes baked in a muffin pan. Serve with cherry pie filling as a dessert for two. Continuing my cheesecake ...

In the mood to bake a small cheesecake? My 6 Inch Chocolate Cheesecake recipe is a chocolate dessert for two with an Oreo crust and homemade ganache. Since all of this month I brought you both ...

In the mood to bake a small cheesecake? This 6 Inch Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe is a creamy Thanksgiving dessert for two served with homemade whipped cream. Last week I mentioned not being able ...

Looking to bake a small cheesecake? My 6 Inch Cheesecake recipe is a creamy dessert for two ideal for any occasion. Garnish with cherry pie filling, whipped cream, and more! I've had several ...

Have leftover egg yolks in your kitchen? Here's a comprehensive recipe guide on what to do with leftover egg yolks so you don't have to throw them out again. After posting my What To Do With ...

Have leftover egg whites in your kitchen? Here's a comprehensive recipe guide on what to do with leftover egg whites so you don't have to throw them out again. I've been developing small batch ...