Strawberry & Vanilla Swirl Cupcakes

Our cupcake contributor, Lauren of Crave. Indulge. Satisfy., is back today!  We missed Lauren last month… she was busy becoming a new mother!!  Congrats to Lauren on the birth of her son!  And speaking of moms, Lauren is sharing a fabulous recipe just in time for Mother’s Day!  I’ll let Lauren take it away from here…

Just in time for Mother’s Day I’m excited to share a delicious cupcake recipe that any mom is sure to love! This recipe is packed full of special flavors to create the ultimate sweet treat for mom’s special day. Not only do these cupcakes taste amazing, but they are displayed in some adorable DIY cupcake wrappers. Your mom will feel like a queen if you bake her a batch of these Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Strawberry & Vanilla Meringue Buttercream.

We all love a traditional vanilla cake, but these are extra special with the addition of vanilla bean paste to enhance the flavor and appearance. I love the little black vanilla bean seeds that are sprinkled throughout. To finish off the cupcakes a meringue buttercream made from egg whites, sugar and butter is swirled on top. This frosting is not your standard buttercream, but one that is more light and fluffy and not overly sweet. To give these special cakes the “wow factor” I decided to flavor the buttercream as two flavors: vanilla and strawberry, which created a beautiful white and pink swirl on top. Using fresh strawberries in the icing created a pale pink color with specs of the red berries throughout. The texture and flavor of this icing is the perfect compliment to the vanilla bean cakes.

If you’re feeling a little crafty and want to take these cupcakes to the next level of fabulous then you can create your own DIY cupcake wrappers. Wilton makes some adorable Ruffled Baking Cups now in assorted colors that you can pick up at your local craft store. I grabbed some pink and white ones to fit with the color scheme of the swirl icing colors. I found some adorable rick rack ribbon to match and by attaching them with double sided tape around the outside of the cupcake liners you have a super simple and beautiful way to display these delicious cakes.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Strawberry & Vanilla Meringue Buttercream Swirl
(makes 24 cupcakes)

For the cake:

3 cups cake flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
6 egg whites
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste (I used Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste)
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with cupcake liners.
2. In medium bowl combine dry ingredients: cake flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In bowl of stand mixer beat butter, sugar, vanilla bean paste and vanilla on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes.
4. Gradually add in the flour mixture and milk alternately, starting and ending with flour. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.
5. Beat egg whites with electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold into cake batter.
6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.
7. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. Let cupcakes cool on pans for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to finish cooling.
9. Once cupcakes are completely cool frost with Strawberry & Vanilla Swirl Meringue Buttercream.

For the icing:
First create a base buttercream, then modify to make the Vanilla & Strawberry flavors.

4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
5 egg whites
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup strawberries, chopped

Base Meringue Buttercream:

1. In bowl of stand mixer combine egg whites, sugar and salt. Place over a pan of simmering water and whisk continuously until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. (The mixture should feel smooth when rubbed between your fingers).
2. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high whisk until stiff peaks form and mixture is fluffy and glossy, about 10 minutes.
3. With mixer on medium speed, add butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Separate icing evenly into 2 batches, one for Vanilla and one for Strawberry.

Vanilla Meringue:

1. To half the batch of icing, add vanilla.
2. Switch to paddle attachment and beat about 2 minutes until icing is smooth.
3. Place Vanilla icing in 12 inch piping bag and snip off tip with scissors.

Strawberry Meringue:

1. Puree strawberries in a food processor..
2. To the second half of icing, add the strawberries and beat until combined.
3. Place Strawberry icing in 12 inch piping bag and snip off tip with scissors.

To Frost Cupcakes:

1. Take both the Vanilla and Strawberry icing piping bags and place inside of a 16 inch piping bag fitted with star tip 1M.
2. Squeeze piping bag starting on the outer edge of the cupcake and go in a circular motion towards the center to create the Vanilla & Strawberry Swirl look.

DIY Cupcake Wrappers:
12 Wilton White Ruffled Baking Cups
12 Wilton Pink Ruffled Baking Cups
Pink & White Rick Rack Ribbon
Double Sided Tape

1. Place baked cupcakes into ruffled baking cups after they cool. (I baked my cupcakes in standard liners, and then placed them in the ruffled cups. You could always just bake your cupcakes in the ruffled cups to begin with).
2. Cut rick rack ribbon so that it will wrap around the outside of your cupcake.
3. Place 3 pieces of double sided tape evenly spaced around the cupcake wrapper.
4. Add the rick rack ribbon on top of the double sided tape, gently pressing it all the way around the cupcake.

Hope you enjoy this recipe and fun way to embellish your cupcake wrappers! Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there!