Strawberry Cupcakes...It Doesn't Get Much Better!

This recipe is by far one of the most requested when I am bringing cupcakes somewhere! It tastes like eating fresh strawberries and they are so delicious. The recipe is actually a 3 layer cake recipe that comes from The Cake Mix Doctor cookbook by Anne Byrne. I liked the cake so much that I simply made it into cupcakes! I did make one little tweak on the amount of flour and I find it made it work better as a cupcake. I also added vanilla to the icing. I hope you and yours enjoy them as much as me!

Strawberry Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Icing
Makes 2-2 1/2 dozen cupcakes

Cake:
- 1 package plain white cake mix
- 1 (3 oz.) package strawberry gelatin
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries and juice

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Set them aside.
2. Place the cake mix, strawberry gelatin, flour, oil, sugar, milk, eggs, and strawberries and juice in a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The strawberries should be well blended into the batter. Divide the batter among the muffin cups (fill about 2/3-3/4 full) and place them in the oven. I find an ice cream scoop to be very helpful in filling the muffin cups.
3. Bake 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out mostly clean. Cool on a cooling rack in the pans about 10 minutes and remove to cool completely before frosting.

Icing:
It may require more than one batch of icing, depending on how much you like!
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted, or more if needed
- 1/2 finely chopped fresh strawberries and juice, more if needed
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla

1. Place the softened butter in a large mixing bowl and blend it with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy. Stop the machine and add 4 cups confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup strawberries and juice. Blend on low speed until the frosting is creamy and of spreadable (or piping) consistency. If it is too thin, add more sugar. If it too thick, add more strawberries.
2. Either spread or pipe (using a 1M tip) the icing on the cupcakes and decorate as desired using sprinkles, fresh strawberries, or anything you like!

Yummy Crab Cakes

I made crab cakes for the first time last night. They were delicious. By delicious I mean perhaps the best crab cakes I've tasted...but I don't mean to brag. It's difficult to go wrong when you have lump crab meat in a cake! A couple of people asked for the recipe so here it is, as best as I can write it down. Sometimes I cook with a dash of this, a sprinkle of that, and a little bit of love. ;) So, try this out and let me know what you think!

Crab Cakes

1 pound lump crab meat (about 2 cups)
2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/2 cup onion and celery, chopped
1 egg, well beaten
Salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons butter
Butter cracker crumbs (I used Club)

Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Once heated, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Saute' the onion and celery until soft and translucent. Remove the skillet from the heat. In a bowl mix the crab meat, mayonnaise, ground mustard, parsley, sauteed vegetables, and seasoning to taste. Add the egg and mix. Form into patties (I used an ice cream scoop to make them uniform) and coat in cracker crumbs. Return the skillet to the heat and add  remaining olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted, add the cakes and cook them until browned on both sides. The ice cream scoop makes a pretty decent sized cake, so I was able to get 4 out of it. Enjoy!