Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes

These Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes are a delightful treat that combines the sweetness of fresh strawberries with a crunchy, buttery topping. With a soft, flavorful cake base made with freeze-dried strawberries and topped with a creamy, fluffy strawberry-infused frosting, these cupcakes are a perfect dessert for any occasion.

The strawberry crunch topping, made with Golden Oreos and strawberry Jello mix, adds the perfect finishing touch for both texture and flavor.

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Equipment:

Cupcake Pan
Cupcake Liners
1 ½ inch scooper
Hand Mixer
Piping Bag
Large Start Shaped Metal Piping Tip
Baking Sheet
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

Batter
¾ cup all purpose flour
½ cup cake flour
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla pudding mix
¾ cup buttermilk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 egg
½ tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup crushed freeze dried strawberries

Frosting

½ cup unsalted butter
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon strawberry extract
1 tablespoon milk

Strawberry Crunch Topping

15 Golden Oreos, crushed
2 ounces strawberry jello mix
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Strawberries, sliced in half

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
In a mixing bowl add all the dry ingredients of flour, cake flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla pudding mix. Whisk together until combined.

Then add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla extract all at once. Whisk together until a slightly thick batter is formed.

Pour in the crushed freeze dried strawberries and fold into the batter.

Use a large 1 ½ inch scooper to fill the cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ way full.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

While those bake, take another mixing bowl and add the softened butter and cream cheese. Use a hand mixer to blend the two together until they are smooth.

Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla and strawberry extract. Blend again until smooth and creamy. Then add in the milk. Whip together once more for about a minute, until the frosting slightly lightens and becomes fluffy.

In another mixing bowl, add the crushed golden oreos and strawberry jello mix. Mix the two ingredients with a fork until evenly distributed.

Add in the melted butter and mix again until the mixture is thoroughly coated with melted butter.

Transfer this to a small baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes, stirring around gently halfway through the baking time.

Once the cupcakes are done, let cool completely before frosting. Also let the strawberry crunch topping cool completely as well.
Transfer the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large metal star tip.
After the cupcakes have cooled, pipe a large swirl of icing from the outside to the center of each cupcake.