Strawberry Short-Cupcake

Believe it or not, I have never been a fan any dessert whip topping.  It's weird, I know.  I love ice cream, cream sauces and even whip cream on hot drinks, but on or next to a dessert, no thanks.  But I do LOVE strawberries and tarts, so I've often created versions of strawberry shortcake desserts, minus the whip.  This is my version of a  Strawberry Short-Cupcake.  To make this berry-delicious treat you'll need...

• Vanilla Cake Mix (plus ingredients to make the cake...usually eggs, oil, and water)
• Store Bought Vanilla Icing
• 1 package of Active Dry Yeast
• 1 1/2 cups of Freeze Dried Strawberries (1 cup for the cake and 1/2 cup for the icing)
• Butter (room temperate...around 1/2 cup....but it's up to you)
• Icing Sugar (enough to thicken your icing)
• 1 cup of Cool Whip

Recipe time...

Step 1: To start, use the amount of water your cake mix package calls for, but use warm water.  Dissolve your Active Dry Yeast into the warm water. Once the Active Dry Yeast is fully dissolved, follow the rest of the directions for your Vanilla Cake Mix except for the preheating your oven part.

Step 2: Mix the batter until smooth.  Gently fold in 1 cup of the Freeze Dried Strawberries and let your batter thicken for a little while (I've waited as long as 30 minutes).

Step 3: Once your batter has thickened, spoon it into the cupcake liners.  Place in the oven and bake as directed on package.  Once they are done baking, let them cool completely.

Step 4: Before you start making your icing, grind 1/2 cup of Freeze Dried Strawberries into a fine powder using a food processor or mortar & pestle.  Now it's time to make your icing.

Step 5: In a mixing bowl add the 1/2 cup of powdered Freeze Dried Strawberries, Cool Whip, Store Bought Vanilla Icing, and Butter.  Mix on high until smooth.  Add icing sugar to thicken the icing to the desired consistency. 

Step 6: To ice your cupcakes, feel free to use a piping bag, spoon, or knife.  I used a piping bag with tip #12.  You can garnish your cupcake with a chocolate covered strawberry or a strawberry candy, but I thought it looked yummy with it's light pink icing alone.  And that's it! 

Happy Faking!