Katy's Kitchen - Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

One of my ongoing goals is to try or create a new recipe each week. I've had this recipe in mind for awhile now, and decided that Valentine's Day was the perfect time to break it out, so I made up a batch and took them to work, where they received rave reviews and had disappeared by noon. Enjoy!

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups chopped strawberries

Frosting:
1/2 cup chopped strawberries
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tbsp. vanilla

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 cupcake pans (about 24 cupcakes).
- Sift flour, salt, and baking soda in medium bowl.
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time until combined.
- Add buttermilk, oil and vanilla until combined.
- Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.
- Fold in berries.
- Fill cupcake pans.
- Bake for 20 minutes.

- For frosting, put berries and juice in saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat and then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.
- Let cool then blend until smooth.
- In bowl of mixer mix cream cheese and butter until creamy.
- Add sugar, then vanilla.
- Add berry puree until smooth.
- Frost cupcakes when they are completely cooled.