Strawberry Surprise Cupcakes

For Valentine's Day or Anyday, even St. Patty's Day ...

St. Patrick's day is known for all the traditional fare, such as corned beef and cabbage, beer and green eggs and ham (or is that Dr. Seuss?). And I probably should have done a post on Irish Soda Bread, but I figured any holiday is worthy of these delicious cupcakes! Who wouldn't want to bite into a heavenly strawberry cream cheese filling on any day of the week for that matter? Besides, I made them on Valentine's Day and forgot to post them til now. So now that you know the truth, all I can say is that these cupcakes were really delicious. Not only that, they were a cinch to make.

My inspiration came from a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis for Strawberry and Mascarpone Filled Cupcakes. She used boxed cake mix. Yes, you read right, Giada used boxed cake mix. So I figured if Giada can do it, by golly, so can I. (hehehe) ;)


Strawberry Surprise Cupcakes
by Mixed Salad Annie

1 box French Vanilla cake mix
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
1 (8-ounce) package low-fat cream cheese (neufchatel cheese), room temperature
1 cup fresh strawberries, or 1/2 cup thawed and drained frozen strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Make the cupcakes following the instructions on the box, adding in the 2 teaspoons of almond extract along with other wet ingredients. Bake as directed; let cool and set aside.

Using a immersion blender or food processor, combine the cream cheese, strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon juice. When the mixture is smooth, transfer to a pastry bag. Using a small tip, carefully squeeze the mixture into the top of each cupcake until you see the cupcake form a slight bulge. Do not try to overfill the cupcake because it will burst open. (I learned from experience!) Finish off each cupcake with a small squeeze on the top and sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles.

For Valentine's Day...

Will Your Valentine's Day be Sweet or Sour?

Mine will be both!

Who makes Lemon Cupcakes for Valentine's Day? Well, uh, me. I decided to go untraditional this Valentine's Day. It wasn't really a decision as much as a process of elimination. I had lemon cake mix that I've been meaning to use, so I figured why not.

To give the cup cakes a little bit of a Valentine's theme, creamy chocolate frosting seemed the best plan of action. And what's creamier than cream cheese?

This frosting seems so sinful, but it's actually less fattening than frosting made with butter, because I used Neufatchel cream cheese which has less saturated fat than butter. Plus it seemed appropriate to pair lemon cake with a frosting that had a little bit of a tang.

...And of course, kisses add to the love motif.

So let there be...
Chocolate Kissed Lemon Cupcakes

1 box lemon cake mix
Freshly grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Prepare cake mix according to directions on box, adding in the grated lemon rind and almond extract. Bake as directed. Let cool completely.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 ounce) package neufatchel cream cheese, softened at room temperature
4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Dash of salt
2 tablespoons soy milk, room temperature
24 Hershey's dark chocolate kisses, unwrapped of course
Colored sprinkles, optional

In a large bowl or electric mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Pour melted chocolate into cream cheese and mix on medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and salt. Add the confectioners sugar one cup at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl, and alternating with the milk. Mix until the frosting is spreading consistency; adding additional sugar or milk if necessary.
Frost cupcakes with a small spatula or knife and then pipe a star on the top of each. Sprinkle with colored sugar and add a chocolate kiss.